RACIAL POLITICS AND THE AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMAN EMPOWERMENT IN TONI MORRISON’S SULA
Résumé
Racial politics has made it difficult for the American community in general and the African American community in particular to achieve a better life. Despite the difficulties, the African American community has made sacrifices to reach the welfare of their respective families. Having become aware of the sway that racial politics holds over the development of the African American community, mothers have felt the need to depart from the patterns of traditional roles imposed on them. Toni Morrison has redefined motherhood as regards to racial politics in Sula. She constructs female characters such as Cecile, Helene Wright, Eva Peace, and Nel Wright, whom she empowers to embody the privileges kept for men with regard to decision-making in the American setting. Relying on the black feminist theory, this paper pinpoints the unusual sacrifices made by female characters in terms of empowering themselves and contributing to the welfare of their family members.