Identity, And Identity In A Mercy By Toni Morrison
Not everyone can give mercy to others, only the ones who are humane and have power. Many people may say power is only given to someone ranked high in the social hierarchy. Is that completely true?, No. There is different types of power; identity, legitimate, leadership, expert and other more. Morrison gave her readers an example of mercy between people with power and those who do not. By doing so the readers could be able to notice how the characters slowly find their identity. In “A Mercy,” Morrison had three main characters to represent each power; two of them are distinct. Jacob and Rebekka, had power because of their position in the social class, but Lina as well as Jacob, had the power of identity. Not all the characters had their identity complete, they started to find themselves through the journey that Morrison wrote with the help of Mercy. Many
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people may say that this novel should stay with the title “A Mercy” because it only shows a single human gesture that is given; which is believed that Florens is the only person who receives mercy but the novel shows that she is not the only one who is granted a mercy.
Compassionate gestures that affects the characters as a person or in life; makes the title "A Mercy" inaccurate since it includes multiple mercies. Morrison expresses the value of the characters, which identifies their identity due to their experience with mercy; to deliberate their hopes, disappointments, fears and accomplishments in a way to demonstrate how an outcome of the event can have an impact one’s entire life.
As the characters from the novel show an act of humanity from one another; the compassion helps them identify who they are. There are different examples of people granting mercy from one another and only few will be mention. Lina, a Native American slave, is empowered about who she is. As she obtains the power of identity, she is able to have mercy on Florens. “Lina had fallen in love with her right away, as she saw
her...”(Morrison 70). Lina became this mother figure to Florens trying to help her through life; finding who she is and what she is capable of. Florens was not able to blossom because she was having a difficult time thinking of her mother and why she gave her up. But with the help of Lina’s and other mercies like: Jacob seeing her as a child and not a slave, helped her become an individual and find her identity which change her life completely. This indicates Florens accomplishment and goals of being an independent individual. Additionally, Jacob, the man of the house with social power, grants multiple mercies, as one of them is shown to his wife, Rebekka, to help her through the hard deaths of her children. “But thinking, also, perhaps rebekka would welcome a child around the place”(Morrison 30). When Jacob is offered florens as a payment of a debt. He realized how having a child around would help him and Rebekka fill their emptiness of the lack of family they are. Jacob thought of his recent child death, Patrician, and imagined how old and big she would've grew just by looking at Florens. That having Florens in the house would change their life, their way of living. Morrison shows the disappointment of Rebekka and Jacob of how they couldn’t have a kid, the hopes of remembering their children and their fear of not being able to become a family. A Mercy toward rebekka and self-mercy believing that their it would help them. The examples of the characters different type of mercy demonstrate that “Mercy” suits as a better title than “A Mercy”.
Many people don’t see the point of view of naming this novel “Mercy”, but rather keeping “A Mercy.” One may say that the only person received mercy was Florens which is not completely true. “A Minha Mae begs no. Her baby boy is still at her breast. Take the girl she says... sir agrees and changes the balance due”(Morrison 8). This is the first mercy that the story starts off but it’s not the only mercy that is made. Especially because this novel is written in multiple narratives which displays that each character’s life has changed physically and emotionally due to multiple mercies taking place.
To express the value of each character, an empowered character(s) must grant a mercy toward another character to help them find their identity. Therefore, Mercies makes a better title than A Mercy since it captures the idea of how each individual’s perspective is different and tells their experience with mercy. There’s about 6 people who emphasize their point of view. The significance of this, is that the readers may not take account of the other mercies happening because they are focus on the one that’s evident which is Florens’ mother mercy.
people may say that this novel should stay with the title “A Mercy” because it only shows a single human gesture that is given; which is believed that Florens is the only person who receives mercy but the novel shows that she is not the only one who is granted a mercy.
Compassionate gestures that affects the characters as a person or in life; makes the title "A Mercy" inaccurate since it includes multiple mercies. Morrison expresses the value of the characters, which identifies their identity due to their experience with mercy; to deliberate their hopes, disappointments, fears and accomplishments in a way to demonstrate how an outcome of the event can have an impact one’s entire life.
As the characters from the novel show an act of humanity from one another; the compassion helps them identify who they are. There are different examples of people granting mercy from one another and only few will be mention. Lina, a Native American slave, is empowered about who she is. As she obtains the power of identity, she is able to have mercy on Florens. “Lina had fallen in love with her right away, as she saw
her...”(Morrison 70). Lina became this mother figure to Florens trying to help her through life; finding who she is and what she is capable of. Florens was not able to blossom because she was having a difficult time thinking of her mother and why she gave her up. But with the help of Lina’s and other mercies like: Jacob seeing her as a child and not a slave, helped her become an individual and find her identity which change her life completely. This indicates Florens accomplishment and goals of being an independent individual. Additionally, Jacob, the man of the house with social power, grants multiple mercies, as one of them is shown to his wife, Rebekka, to help her through the hard deaths of her children. “But thinking, also, perhaps rebekka would welcome a child around the place”(Morrison 30). When Jacob is offered florens as a payment of a debt. He realized how having a child around would help him and Rebekka fill their emptiness of the lack of family they are. Jacob thought of his recent child death, Patrician, and imagined how old and big she would've grew just by looking at Florens. That having Florens in the house would change their life, their way of living. Morrison shows the disappointment of Rebekka and Jacob of how they couldn’t have a kid, the hopes of remembering their children and their fear of not being able to become a family. A Mercy toward rebekka and self-mercy believing that their it would help them. The examples of the characters different type of mercy demonstrate that “Mercy” suits as a better title than “A Mercy”.
Many people don’t see the point of view of naming this novel “Mercy”, but rather keeping “A Mercy.” One may say that the only person received mercy was Florens which is not completely true. “A Minha Mae begs no. Her baby boy is still at her breast. Take the girl she says... sir agrees and changes the balance due”(Morrison 8). This is the first mercy that the story starts off but it’s not the only mercy that is made. Especially because this novel is written in multiple narratives which displays that each character’s life has changed physically and emotionally due to multiple mercies taking place.
To express the value of each character, an empowered character(s) must grant a mercy toward another character to help them find their identity. Therefore, Mercies makes a better title than A Mercy since it captures the idea of how each individual’s perspective is different and tells their experience with mercy. There’s about 6 people who emphasize their point of view. The significance of this, is that the readers may not take account of the other mercies happening because they are focus on the one that’s evident which is Florens’ mother mercy.