Ironic Lynchings and Embodied Crucifixions in Morrison’s Paradise
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Abstract
This article explores how the womanist theology of M. Shawn Copeland illuminates the theological dimensions of Toni Morrison’s 1997 novel, Paradise . With reference to Copeland’s thought, I argue that Morrison re-imagines the crucifixion anew during the novel’s climax, in which five socially marginalized and racially diverse women are scapegoated and murdered by male leaders of the all-black town, Ruby. Drawing upon the thought of James Cone and observations by Morrison herself, I further describe these women’s murders as a kind of lynching. Morrison thus demonstrates how racism’s logic of domination becomes internalized and replicated by Ruby’s male-power structure. The lynching of the women thereby emerges as ironic, for the men’s intentions to create an all-black paradise unconsciously imitate the oppression and perverse theology of white supremacy. Morrison’s novel thus encourages readers to re-imagine the cross so as to reject exclusionary forms of Christianity.
DOI
10.1163/15685292-02804004
Recommended Citation
Little, B. (2024). Ironic lynchings and embodied crucifixions in Morrison’s paradise. Religion and the Arts, 28(4), 467-487. Doi: 10.1163/15685292-02804004
