Abstract

The efforts made by black females to struggle against the gender and racial discrimination used to be the topic of plenty of novels and A Mercy was exactly such a novel to reveal the tragic experiences of the black girl, Florens. In this thesis, the growth of Florens will be analyzed from three aspects: the change of her self-identification, the development of her understanding of gender relationship, and the change of her comprehension of mother-child relationship. And the reasons for her growth can be concluded as these three factors: her mother’s rejection, the inequality between males and females, and racial discrimination.

Keywords: Toni Morrison; A Mercy; Florens; growth 

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-2

3. Growth of Florens in A Mercy-3

3.1 Development of her self-identification-3

3.2 Her understanding of gender relationships-5

3.3 Her understanding of mother-child relationship-7

4. Reasons for the Growth of Florens-9

4.1 Her mother’s rejection-9

4.2 Inequality between males and females-9

4.2 Racial discrimination-10

5. Conclusion-10

Works Cited-12