Literary Analysis Of A Mercy

Maternal Love in different characters of “A Mercy”

“A Mercy” is a novel written by Toni Morrison. The connection between mother and child is clear throughout the story. From different women characters, including Floren’s mother, Floren, Sorrow, and Lina, readers can see and relate how each character expresses and interacts in the sense of motherhood. In the story, Florens is a young slave who is exchanged for money to Jacob. Since her mother offers her to Jacob, she seems to live her entire life thinking that her mother does not love her unlike her brother. Throughout the story, maternal love are shown through different characters between Florens and her mother, Sorrow and her child, and Lina and Florens.

Firstly, one of the prominent signs of maternal love between Florens and her mother could be seen through the story. It seems to

This is because to save Florens from potential sexual abuse as a slave. In the story, Florens is exchanged for money to Jacob as her mother offers Jacob to take Florens instead of her little brother that still relies on breastfeeding. This is shown via “Take the girl, she says, my daughter, she says”. As a daughter, Florens feels that her mother rejected her. “Saying something important to me, but holding the little boy’s hand”. To Florens, this shows that her mother is choosing her brother instead of her. However, in the end, her mother explains the reasons why she insists with giving Florens to Jacob. She sees the need of sex for her daughter in Senhor’s eyes. As shown through “You caught Senhor’s eye”. Her mother had experienced of suffering from sexual abuse. Because how she is treated by Senhor as a sex slave, she does not want her daughter to suffer like her. On the other hand, she sees Jacob as a chance for protecting her daughter from sexual abuse like her, hoping Jacob would give her