Tar Baby

by Toni Morrison

Book Overview

"Tar Baby," audacious and hypnotic, is masterful in its mingling of tones--of longing and alarm, of urbanity and a primal, mythic force in which the landscape itself becomes animate with a wild, dark complicity in the fates of the people whose drama unfolds.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452253268
• ISBN13: 9780452253261
• Release Date: April 1982
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 305 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A poignant and contemporary struggle

Morrison is such a masterful author. Her novels always have a force behind it that draws the reader in and makes sure that you understand the various points of view. We first see Valerian's point of view, and we agree with him. Then we see Margaret's point of view and we agree with her also, although Valerian and Margaret are arguing with each other. This is how Morrison brings a story to life, using recursive narration to move forward and back in time regardless of the time period that the novel is currently in. One minute we are looking at Valerian and his past, the next we are looking at Margaret until it catches up to the present storyline and then advances further, which allows us to understand how and why each character acts the way that they do. Simply masterful. What is even more masterful is Morrison's ability to articulate the struggle between races, but more importantly the struggle that black people go through. Should one embrace their past and their culture as Son does, even though it means living in squalor and primitive ways? Or should one educate themselves and try to make their lives better as Jadine does? The struggle is huge, and this is what adds the powerful flavor to the story. Ultimately, it is the side of Jadine that wins over, I believe, the side that no longer blames the white man and "his" culture, but rather embraces her culture and attempts to further herself, as a black woman, rather than let the past weigh her down and prevent her from bettering herself. A poignant novel, of which I would expect nothing less from Morrison. A definite recommend, not only the book but any of her books. 5 stars.

totally different than i envisioned- in a really great way

When I began reading TarBaby I had no idea what it was about. I borrowed it from a high school classroom while I was student teaching and couldnt believe the difference between it and other Morrison novels while the language is beautiful and that is what makes it uniquely a Toni Morrison masterpiece. However, the love story between a black man and a woman who is black yet not, surprised me. Their love was so deep and so poignant - yet totally overwhelming and surprising at the same time. The other story that is intertwined (that of Valerian Street and his dysfunctional upper-class white family) also startled me. I could not identify with the characters and found myself trying so hard to do so. The ending of the novel left me wanting more. While it is not in Morrison's nature to write a sequel, I sincerely hope we find out what happens to Jadine, Son, and the Street's as their futures are left open-ended. Perhaps that is the point, and while I felt like the book could've gone on, I loved it nevertheless. Please read this book - it is one of Morrison's best!

A satire with real bite

"Tar Baby" may not be the most celebrated of Toni Morrison's many memorable novels, but, in my opinion, it's the most fun. Much of the story takes place at the Caribbean mansion of white millionaire Valerian Street. Morrison weaves a deliciously nasty psychodrama involving Street, his flaky wife, the Street's black servants, and Jadine, a young black woman who is niece to the servants and who has been educated thanks to Valerian's money. Into this mix Morrison tosses Son, a dreadlocked black man with a dangerous edge."Tar Baby" is a frequently outrageous satire of racial identity, sexual politics, consumer culture, class consciousness, and family dysfunctionality. Her cast of characters is colorfully warped in an almost Dickensian manner. Particularly interesting is the portrait of Jadine, the black wunderkind beloved by her wealthy white patrons; I think of her as a whorish postmodern parody of early African-American poet Phillis Wheatley.As always, Morrison's writing is marked by passages of poetic power and grace. Check out, for example, this marvelous description of Son's hair: "Wild, aggressive, vicious hair that needed to be put in jail. Uncivilized, reform-school hair. Mau Mau, Attica, chain gang hair."Ultimately, I read "Tar Baby" as a comic tragedy of people trapped in a complex web of racial, sexual, and economic mythologies. Profane, thought-provoking, ironic, and rich in scathing humor, this novel is ample proof of Toni Morrison's writerly talent.

Revealing, Redemptive, Raw

In Tar Baby, Morrison explores the various relationshipsAfrican Americans find ourselves engaged in at any given point intime. Tar Baby scrutinizes our relationship to the oppressor and toeach other, parent to child, child to parent, man to woman. In our relationship to the oppessor the novel implies that we are forever wanting and forever in service to. Wanting of acceptance, at times at any cost, while serving him diligently, completely. The desire for acceptance is symbolized, in this reader's opinion, by the novel's title. Was the Jadine character, at her worst, a white woman in black skin? Is her acculturation likened to having poured, like tar, a black coating over the ideals, notions, and behaviors of white women? Is that what happened to Jadine's "ancient properties"? Ondine and Sydny are passive yet powerful characters having lived their lives in servitude to the Streets and Jadine, whose absent "ancient properties" and connection to self, left her confused, unsure of what to make of her of her own people. Like all of Morrison's novels, Tar Baby is filled with symbolism, lending itself to interpretation base on the reader's life experience. Its messages are raw and intense, its characters as knowable as a long time friend. A great group reading novel.

An excellent book

I found this book insightful and thought-provoking. I could relate very much to the character of Jadine, and to her situation. I found this very refreshing, because it is not every day that an author tackles the issues of skin color, education, and class-- issues that are prevalent in the lives of many Black Americans. Toni Morrison takes us inside the heads of all of her characters. She does not have to try to avoid stereotypes, because she develops all of her characters so fully that the reader ultimately sees them all as human beings. I have never seen an author more successful at doing this. Tar Baby is a difficult book, but it is worth it. It is one of those books that will leave you different after you have read it.