Ryan ChartrandI first discovered Toni Morrison by chance when a friend lent me “The Bluest Eye.” I did not expect to be completely enraptured by the writing. In fact, I put off reading it for a few weeks. I am glad that I uncovered it later though because it proved to be one of the most powerful novels I have ever read. This year, I have been fortunate enough to be a part of Regulus Allen’s African American Literature class, in which we are currently reading Morrison’s Pulitzer Prize-winning fifth novel, “Beloved.”
It is because of my previous exposure to this Nobel Prize-winning author that her latest novel, “A Mercy,” caught my eye. Skip ahead to her ninth work of art; here we find many themes common in her other works. Dealing with a shameful period in America’s past, Morrison takes us on a journey to the late 1600s where we become entangled in the lives of four women, who against all odds are able to form a sort of family structure under the burden of skin colors that divide them.
Interestingly, Morrison chooses to develop the main white male character into something more than a depiction of the rash and abusive slaveholder that was common in that time. New York farmer Jacob Vaark says outright that he prefers to not do business in “flesh,” and turns away all of the ideas that slavery stands for.
Vaark is a simple man, but after a trip to Maryland to seek the fulfillment of a debt owed to him, he is thwarted by the elaborate mansion that Senhor D’Ortega lives in with his decadent wife. Although repulsed, he finds himself yearning for the same luxuries.
It is here he discovers that, for all of D’Ortega’s superficial possessions, he has no real money to offer him. He does however offer Vaark a slave.
After much discussion Vaark accepts Florens, a young slave girl as repayment, in an attempt to save her life. Thinking that she could serve as a companion and source of help to his wife, Vaark does not feel bad about his decision and brings her back to his farm.
Although Florens comes off as a generally happy girl, she has many issues stewing under her smile. She combats serious feelings of abandonment after being given away by her mother and, in her mind, her mother preferred her brother. Seeking praise wherever she goes and through everything she does, Florens proves to be eager to please as well as eager to love. After falling madly in love with a free African blacksmith, she indulges herself in the romance of it all and we see her genuine perspective come through in the pages. My favorite parts of this novel were when Morrison would write using the voice of Florens.
Lina, an Indian woman, whose tribe was plagued by disease, also inhabits the farm. She proves to be an insightful, interesting perspective throughout the novel. As the mother figure of the book, Lina finds a deep friendship with Vaark’s wife, Rebekka, as well as their young daughter, Patrician.
The Vaark family is a tragic one however and Rebekka seems to be cursed when it comes to childbearing, as all of her children die young. After she becomes severely ill, it is Lina who realizes that without her, the slave women will be unsafe in the world.
The book’s end is the most powerful, told through the unsuspecting eyes of Florens’ mother. As with Morrison’s other novels, do not expect to come out of reading this unscathed. Her talent is abundant; the way she is able to paint a picture of that time period with vivid descriptions and acute characterization is simply amazing. I loved how she was able to weave this relatively short tale through the eyes of many, to create a powerful impact on the reader, as well as a historically riveting view of the time.
I was completely immersed in Morrison’s writing, and although consisting of at times disturbing material, “A Mercy,” displays what is at the heart of human nature, crossing the divides of race, providing a thunderous conclusion.