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“Motherlove was a killer:” Examining Patterns of Violence between Mothers and Children in Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Sula, and A Mercy

Phillips,Laurel
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Phillips,Laurel
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Morrison, Toni—Criticism and interpretation, Mothers and daughters in literature, Violence in literature, African American women in literature, Motherhood in literature
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Honors Papers
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2026_honors_thesis_phillips.pdf
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https://hdl.handle.net/10267/37258
Abstract
This honors thesis analyzes patterns of violence in mother–child relationships in Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Sula, and A Mercy, arguing that Morrison presents maternal violence as intertwined with expressions of love, protection, and survival. Through close readings, the study traces how physical and emotional violence is shaped by systems of racial oppression, enslavement, and gender inequality, and how these acts reverberate across generations. Morrison challenges conventional moral frameworks by encouraging readers to suspend judgment and instead understand maternal actions within their oppressive contexts. Ultimately, the thesis demonstrates that Morrison redefines motherhood as a site of moral ambiguity, where violence may function both destructively and as an assertion of care and agency, complicating traditional interpretations of ethics and maternal responsibility in African American literature.
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