Toni Morrison's Gender Politics in Song of Solomon1/POLITIQUE DE GENRE DE TONI MORRISON DANS LE CHANT DE SALOMON

Abstract: Racial and gender oppression are always of Toni Morrison's great concern. She uses her pen to create fictions and non-fiction essays to fight for her fellow African American people. As black female who enjoys discourse power, she waves her gender politics into great novel Song of Solomon. Key words: Toni Morrison; Gender politics; Song of Solomon Resume: L'oppression raciale and l'oppression des femmes sont toujours les deux themes preoccupants de Toni Morrison. Elle utilise sa plume pour creer des fictions et des essais non-fiction afin de se battre pour ses compatriotes afro-americaines. En tant qu'une femme noire qui aime le pouvoir du discours, elle brandit sa politique de genre dans le grand roman Le chant de Salomon. Mots cles: Toni Morrison; Politique de genre; Chant de Salomon Morrison- as is also true for many other contemporary African American women writers, including Alice Walker, Toni Cade Bambara, and Gloria Nay lor, to name three - gender is not separate from racial identity; while their arguments are for liberation from racial and gender oppression, both race and gender themselves are always seen as liberating points from which to construct language or to create literature that is political in forms as well as in subject matter (Rigney 2). Morrison creates Song of Solomon not only to advertise her political philosophy on racial problems but also to underscore her political philosophy on gender problems. Song of Solomon is only novel of Morrison in which black male is portrayed as protagonist and it is only one presented from male point of view. Although narrative mainly goes around Milkman's search for self and his ancestral identity, the power in Morrison' s novel rests with multiple roles of women who touch his life, making it story of Black woman's sacrifices to protect and ensure community's ancestral memory (Beaulieu 17). Susan Farrell argues that narrative of Song of Solomon can be interpreted as black woman's response to African American political situation in United States of 1970s, particularly to aftermath of civil rights/black power movements (140). Morrison politicizes narrative of novel and virtually she makes young black male's Buildungsroman to be an attestation of greatness of African American females. In her storytelling, Morrison attacks black sexism and black patriarchy violently. At same time, she attempts to construct political and social status for herblack sisters in patriarchy society. 1. THE GENDER POLITICS IN THE DEDICATION OF SONG OF SOLOMON In dedication of Song of Solomon, Morrison puts only one word Daddy on first page. On next page, she writes, fathers may soar/And children may know their names. Close behind in forward, Morrison talks about death of her father. She commemorates his love, his great sacrifice, and his encouragement for his four children. For readers, it is quite clear her father is vitally important to Morrison. Hence, when they read young protagonist's quest story for his self identity and for real name of his father's father and his ancestors', they may easily anticipate that narrative is centered on male characters and their fathers. Actually, Morrison expects her readers to participate in her storytelling and construction of her gender politics in narrative. She wants them to decode her political intentions actively. The claim that Morrison devotes her novel merely to male characters is bias. Gay Wilentz insightfully points out that there must be someone missing from dedication (114). Reading dedication again, readers may have such question: Since fathers soar, how could children know their names? Wilentz continues to make it clear that a group missing from dedication whose presence is overpowering in novel itself -the mothers (grandmothers, aunt, older sibling, female ancestor) (Ibid). …

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