Black male character types in four works by Alice Walker and Toni Morrison.

摘要

This study is an examination of the Black male characters in The Third Life of Grange Copeland, The Color Purple, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. Contemporary critics such as Darryl Pinckney, Marc Christophe, and Robert Towers hold a common assumption that Walker and Morrison tend to abuse and degrade the Black male character. Deborah McDowell, Barbara Christian, Paula Giddings and Lindsey Tucker illustrate how the Black male characters abuse and blame the female characters for the disasters that occur. It is true that Walker and Morrison explore the defects of the Black male character; however, they also explore the Black male image and present a more complete view than what the scholarship indicates. Criticism on Walker and Morrison examine one side of the gender issue only, which is an indication that the scholarship on the two authors' works is incorrect and incomplete. This study is an attempt to correct the false assumption held by the contemporary critics and prove that the works of Walker and Morrison show a balanced representation of Black male characters.; The critical approach is informed by Alice Walker's "womanist" concept, which is substained and clarified by social science scholarship indicating that there are various Black male character types in Walker's and Morrison's works. The analysis focuses on selected Black male characters who fall into the four categories: symbolic mythical, positive, dynamic, and negative. This study examines the Black male characters' relationship to women and children, the language they use, the way they refer to other characters, the language other characters use to refer to them, their behaviors, and their actions. The study shows that Walker and Morrison are searching for an understanding of the Black male characters.; The conclusion interprets the findings and presents a chart that illustrates the balance in the treatment of the characters. Since this study is limited to four works, the final section of the conclusion makes suggestions for study of other works by Walker and Morrison.