An Ethical Study of Toni Morrison's God Help the Child

Toni Morrison's latest novel God Help the Child presents the ethical dilemma of a young black woman who is traumatized by her childhood experiences and undergoes transformation before accomplishing maturity and wisdom. Morrison demonstrates her ethical choice by juxtaposing issues of race and materialism and apposes two modes of relationships between characters in the novel: "conditional relationships" represented by Sweetness, Louis and Booker, which leads to Bride's spiritual dilemma and physical regression; "unconditional care", embodied by Steve, Evelyn and Rain, which brings Bride out of her dilemma and leads to the recovery of her body and her humanity. The present article aims to elaborate on ethical dilemma, ethical choice and ethical theme of the novel in the light of the theory of ethical literary criticism, in which Morrison's plotting and characterization will be analyzed in the context of colorism and materialism, and the theme of "natural love", as a healthier and more lasting relationship bonding based on empathy and mutual care, will be revealed.