Book Review: “A Mercy” by Toni Morrison



“A Mercy” by Toni Morrison

Section 1

Case Description

Identifying Information

Florens is the main character of the novel. She was a slave girl living with her mother under the Portuguese planter. She was sold by her master at the age of six to settle his debt to Jacob Vaark a white free man. The act of Portuguese separated her from the mother and Florens deeply felt this separation. Her master took her to his firm, and she began to live with him. Jacob Vaark was bit lenient master. She used to write her feelings on the walls of her master's home. Although she was not literate, she could read and write through the sign language. One question, which strikes her mind, was why her mother left her? This put her into miserable situation. At the later stage, when she was sixteen years old, she fell in love with unnamed blacksmith, but her proposal was rejected. Then she was greatly depressed (Morrison, 2008).

Presenting Issues

Florens confronted many issues. As in the beginning of the novel an African girl confesses, Readers do not afraid, my telling can not hurt you” she faced many issues of the society such as Slavery, racial discrimination, class differences and gender inequality (Morrison, 2008). The novel revolves around these core issues which were been faced by the novels main character Florens.

She was a slave girl and lived with her mother and infant brother under Portuguese master. Her master sold her against the payment of debt to the Jacob Vaark then she was separated from her mother at the age of six. Her separation from the mother was miserable. The master wanted to sell the infant brother of Florens. But her mother begged from master not to sell her son because he was an infant, and breast feeder. She told master to sell her daughter. On the other hand, Florens mother had no choice. This act of her mother deeply embraced Florens (Morrison, 2008).

Family of Origin

Florens was born in the province of Maryland. She belonged to a slave family from Africa. She used to live with her mother and infant brother under Portuguese planter. Later on she was sold to a free white man Jacob Vaark by her master in the payment of debt. After the change of her master, she was got to interact with different characters. Her new master was Jacob Vaark, a free white man. He was born in England and raised in an orphanage of Protestants. He was the owner of a farm. Lina was another servant of Jacob Vaark she was Native American women. She had a great knowledge of framing techniques and played a great role in the firm's productivity. Florens fell in love with unnamed blacksmith, but she was rejected. Rebekka was the wife of Jacob and mistress of Florens. Sorrow was another servant in the farm of Vaark; she did not play any sufficient role for the production of the ...