Toni Morrison’s new short story “Sweetness” appeared in last month’s edition of The New Yorker. The story chronicles the complex relationship between a mother and daughter in the Civil Rights era. The piece is an excerpt from Morrison’s upcoming novel “God Help the Child,” set to be released this April. Similar to Morrison’s previous works, the story challenges the reader to reconsider and examine the hierarchy that exists within race.
“Sweetness” presents the reader with a glimpse into the complexities and hardships of African American life, and Morrison’s characters struggle to function in a world in which they face discrimination and feelings of inferiority. The narrative is told from the point of view of a light-skinned African American mother, grappling with feelings of resentment towards her dark-skinned child, Lula Mae. The narrative is at times chilling, detailing the speaker’s intense embarrassment of her daughter, causing her to go “crazy for a minute” and consider ending her daughter’s life. This event is treated casually and is almost immediately dismissed by the narrator. “I held a blanket over her face and pressed,” she says.
The strength of this narrative is in the truth that Toni Morrison brings to the voice of the speaker. Perhaps the most poignantly stated example of the speaker’s complex relationship with her child comes in the insistence that Lula Mae: “call [her] ‘Sweetness’ instead of ‘Mother’ or ‘Mama.’” The speaker goes on to insist that it was safer this way, driven by her shame of her daughter’s appearance. “Her being that black and having what I think are too thick lips and calling me “Mama” would’ve confused people,” she says. “Besides, she has funny-colored eyes, crow black with a blue tint—something witchy about them, too.”
The speaker prioritizes social hierarchy over the safety and happiness of her own family, and Morrison uses the narrative to establish a sense of coldness throughout the piece that forces the reader to consider the power of discrimination. The speaker feels that she is protecting her daughter from the hardships of the white world, when in actuality, she is bringing these hardships closer to home. Perhaps the speaker’s intention is to spare her daughter the challenges that come with being a dark-skinned woman in an unforgiving society, but Lula Mae’s fate does not seem to benefit from this protection.
The speaker seems to be disconnected from the state of her own race simply because her skin is shades lighter, a trait that is more important to her than loyalty to family and the national struggle. In her mind, her light skin elevates her above other African Americans and allows her to feel such intense shame for her darker skinned daughter.
Morrison’s excerpt has filled us with anticipation for her upcoming novel and we are eager to see how Lula Mae’s story fits in to Toni Morrison’s next well-crafted narrative. The last line of “Sweetness” ends on a note of imploration, for the reader to “listen to me,” before stating, “Good luck, and God help the child.” We are sure that we will keep listening and waiting for the upcoming release of Morrison’s novel.