Novel Guide: Tar Baby
STYLE:
SYMBOLS:
THEMES:
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CHARACTERS:
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POINT OF VIEW:
The point of view in the novel is one that is very unique. It is told, in majority, from the third person omniscient point of view. Morrison employs this point of view so that the reader can understand all that is happening in the complexity of the relationships between the novel's characters. This behooves the reader in that a lot of what is going on in the plot, and in the social commentary, is put forth through the understanding of the characters and their relationships with and behaviors towards each other. Another interesting quality of the point of view is that in certain parts, and very subtly,the point of view switches from third person omniscient to a first person telling from a character. In one instance the omniscient narrator is usurped by Jadine, and the reader is notified of this by Ondine being referred to as Nanadine, a name only Jadine refers to her as. This aids the commentary of the novel since it allows for indecision in the point of view, and indecision is a big part of the goings on in the novel.
The point of view in the novel is one that is very unique. It is told, in majority, from the third person omniscient point of view. Morrison employs this point of view so that the reader can understand all that is happening in the complexity of the relationships between the novel's characters. This behooves the reader in that a lot of what is going on in the plot, and in the social commentary, is put forth through the understanding of the characters and their relationships with and behaviors towards each other. Another interesting quality of the point of view is that in certain parts, and very subtly,the point of view switches from third person omniscient to a first person telling from a character. In one instance the omniscient narrator is usurped by Jadine, and the reader is notified of this by Ondine being referred to as Nanadine, a name only Jadine refers to her as. This aids the commentary of the novel since it allows for indecision in the point of view, and indecision is a big part of the goings on in the novel.