Loading...
A “Special Kind of Double”: Sisterhood, Selfhood, Mermaids, and the Bonds of Trauma and Love
Journal Title
Readers/Advisors
Rodney, Mariel
Journal Title
Term and Year
Spring 2023
Publication Date
2023
Book Title
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
Publication Begin
Publication End
Number of pages
Collections
Files
Loading...
6371_Tasha_Brown.pdf
Adobe PDF, 253.02 KB
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
Toni Morrison states that a sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves— “a special kind of double. In this project, I examine two Toni Morrison novels A Mercy and Beloved, to understand the dynamics of black sisterhood. In Morrison’s novels trauma is depicted as psychological and physical violence, isolation, and through forms of oppression. In both A Mercy and Beloved, sisterhood creates important modes of survival that did not exist for these characters before. The “sisters” of Toni Morrison’s novel use their bond to save themselves.
I came to this project by reading Morrison’s works and reflecting on the role of sister- friends in my own life. How do black women find ways to support each other across difficult, impossible circumstances? What roles did these women have to play for themselves and for others? These questions sparked my exploration of trauma and how survival is enabled through black sisterhood in fictional narrative and theory.
Citation
DOI
Description
Accessibility Statement
Purchase College - State University of New York (PC) is committed to ensuring that people with disabilities have an opportunity equal to that of their nondisabled peers to participate in the College’s programs, benefits, and services, including those delivered through electronic and information technology. If you encounter an access barrier with a specific item and have a remediation request, please contact lib.ir@purchase.edu.