Morrison and Various Mercies

Abstract

Morrison reminded her readers frequently that she did not write autobiographical fiction. She also did not draw characters who represented all African Americans (or all whites); rather, her figures were distinct individuals. Bill Cosey in Love might have been a womanizer bordering on a pedophile, proud of his money-making ability, but Morrison never intended Cosey to represent all wealthy African American men. As she wrote,

My books are frequently read as representative of what the black condition is. Actually, the books are about very specific circumstances, and in them are people who do very specific things. But more importantly, the plot, characters are part of my effort to create a language in which I can posit philosophical questions. I want the reader to ponder these questions. I want the reader to ponder these questions not because I put them in an essay, but because they are part of a narrative. … I would like my work to do two things: be as demanding and sophisticated as I want it to be, and at the same time be accessible in a sort of emotional way to lots of people … That’s a hard task. But that’s what I want to do. (Con I, 106)