토니 모리슨의 『재즈』- 상실과 치유의 양상으로 드러나는 모성 연구

Abstract

This paper aims to examine a new aspect of ‘motherhood.' There are positive and negative viewpoints about ‘motherhood' based on Western feminist theory. The issue of ‘motherhood,' especially to African-American feminists, is a crucial factor which includes the concepts of ‘restoration' and ‘reconciliation.' African- American feminists, including Morrison, do not believe that ‘the role of wife' should be criticized. Also, they believe that ‘the role of mother' permits women to have the power and spirit to be free in society. However, Western White feminists generally have a more negative perspective on motherhood, which insists mothers have self-sacrificing, invisible existences. These feminists claim that mothers are forced to exist as small, devalued objects in society. This study provides a different point of view from the Western White feminists' view on motherhood, using Toni Morrison's novel, Jazz. Jazz was written in 1992 and earned the Nobel prize in 1993. In many of her writings, Morrison has explored the issue of ‘love.' Usually she foc92 s on ‘the loss and the restoration of love’ between lovers and family members. In Jazz, she readttesses the issue of love in the form of ‘motherhood.' In the first part of the novel, Morrison describes main characters who have lost the love of their mothers. Throughout the novel, these characters go through a process of healing. They experience deep love in relationships with others and, in a sense, regain the love of a mother. Morrison suggests that Joe, Violet, and Dorcas all have distorted and negative views of motherhood. However, in the long run, they are able to regain positive and healthy identities through their deep connections with those who play the role of mother in their lives. Likewise, Morrison makes it clear just how positive and valuable ‘motherhood’ is to human beings.