A Diamond in the Rough

Toni Morrison- highly awarded author. Ten impeccable novels. How does she do it? 

Because we did so much analysis in class, I thought it would be a good idea to look at Toni Morrison’s writing style for my blog this weekend. To make it a little bit easier to understand, I’m going to compare it to a messy bedroom.

Yes, you heard right. Toni Morrison: the messy bedroom of writing. It may seem odd at first but allow me to explain. Almost nothing in a Toni Morrison novel is ever neat and clean. Morrison likes it messy- her novels have endless interpretations because of this. This messy nature can be compared to the clothes strewn around a bedroom- next to the already overflowing laundry basket. Trying to find that perfect interpretation of the text is like sorting through a pile of clothes until you find the perfect outfit. That is the thing Toni does best, in my opinion. Reading one of her books and not questioning anything is impossible. 

Even though things may seem messy, everything still has its own place. Morrison is great at hiding symbols throughout her novels, but as soon as you see one, you immediately understand why it’s there. Take Macon III pouring his coffee down the drain, for example. It takes place right after his oddly distorted tulip vision. Usually, coffee wakes you up- but Macon III is so overwhelmed by his mother’s odd obsessions, he doesn’t want to wake up. This symbol is exactly where it should be- even though it can easily be lost in the wake of the astonishingly vivid tulip scene. See? I told you- it makes sense.