Life as Paradox in Toni Morrison
Life as a Paradox in Morrison and ButlerMorrison and Butler have created, in the Oankali and in the citizens of Haven, societies which hold a paradoxical reverence for life. They present two imagined utopian societies, micro chasms of today's society, whose conflicts bring out the undeniable nature of man, showing us that it is not only 'human' nature, but is just 'nature:' Intrinsic to everything alive, even the Oankali. In these societies' attempts at preserving one life, however, they ultimately destroy another. Both these works carry a literary and cultural importance. This significance comes from their function as a sort of 'looking glass,' a fairly unbiased glimpse into today's world. There is much to learn from these miniature societies about ourselves and society as a whole, if we are willing.In Paradise, we come to know about the young town of Haven. Once the citizens of Ruby, Oklahoma, Haven's founders were pioneers on exodus in the late 1800s to establish their own promised land, their paradise. This group of founding fathers sought a place all their own; where even freed slaves could live without the intolerance and hate of whites, own their own homes and businesses, flourish and prosper without regulation
The Oankali have introduced new plants and animals, similar to the old ones, but poisonous to humans. The nine original families, who eventually became the seven original families, are essentially Haven's ruling aristocracy. The oven has become a place for rebellious youth to gather and do things they shouldn't, and a place for misguided, power-hungry grown men to plan how to get rid of what they don't understand. Another aspect of society commented on in these works, I believe, is our attempt to 'Americanize' or 'civilize' other peoples and countries. Morrison manages to tell her story without much emphasis on race whatsoever; however, she does open the book with, "They shoot the white girl first. An appreciation for all things living, the Oankali have witnessed the human destruction of Earth, and of humans themselves, by nuclear war, and have rescued the survivors. There are few illnesses that are deadly to the Oankali, a result of genetic modifications that they wish to pass on to humans in a desire to help them live longer, as they did the doctor they awakened much earlier than Lilith. The more the town adapted to American life, the more it prospered. The old folks, trying to make life better for their children, welcomed technology such as washers and dryers, irons, and vacuums into their homes. The lighter skinned blacks are looked down upon by the genetically superior 8 Rocks, and anything can and will be done to ensure quality in the genetic line, including incest. The Oankali have genetic prints of every living thing they have come into contact with, and "mix" children randomly from these gene prints, as Lilith finds out at the end of the book that she is pregnant with a child--a genetic mixture of her and Joe. But neither the Earth itself, nor its inhabitants will return to their pre-apocalyptic state. I believe both Haven and the Oankali ship serve as micro chasms of modern (utopian) society.
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Acceptance Essays
