Bride’s mother, Sweetness, is at the root of her pain. Louis is a light-skinned black man. From the beginning of the story, we find out that the light-skinned African-American mother is repelled by her own daughter’s dark skin : “It’s not my fault. The mother brings up her daughter Lula Ann by herself, wishing that she did not have to bear the burden of a black daughter. Toni Morrison’s “Sweetness” was originally published in the February 9, 2015 issue of The New Yorker. Sweetness assumes he must have begun to feel guilty, because Louis later tracks down their new address and sends fifty dollars every month. Sweetness is the protagonist; the antagonist is her dark-skinned daughter Lula Ann. Her skin color was the raison her parents got divorced. For centuries, African-American’s have been mistreated because they look different from white Sweetness raises Lula Ann to keep her head down because of her dark skin, but Lula Ann rebels as a teenager, talking back to her mother. Because of their daughter’s dark-skinned color, her husband Louis abandons her, assuming she had an affair, but … Toni Morrison’s “Sweetness” was originally published in the February 9, 2015 issue of The New Yorker. "Sweetness" is a apparently excerpted from Morrison's upcoming novel God Help the Child, which, until I read this excerpt I was pretty excited to read or at least read about when it comes out. We will explore the setting of the story, looking both at the physical places where the action takes places and at social aspects related to racial discrimination, segregation, marriage, and parenthood. Just as Homer’s Circe helps Odysseus find his way back to Ithaca, Morrison’s Circe provides crucial information that reconnects Milkman with his family history. Sweetness Sweetness is the story's narrator and protagonist. However, they are absent from the present action and are … Sweetness is a light-skinned black woman with "good hair" who has grown up with certain privileges because of her ability to pass as white. He was deadly sure that his wife cheated on him and decided to leave the house. Lula Mae is Sweetness's mother and Lula Ann's grandmother. Really wrong. As a result, she is subject to racial discrimination, such as being made to swear on a Bible reserved for black people when she marries her husband at a courthouse. Sweetness feels guilty about the harsh way she has treated her daughter growing up. Narrator and point of view The short story “Sweetness” by Toni Morrison is a first-person narration. Don't Judge People by T he C olor Of Their Skin “Sweetness” By Toni Morrison is about an African American light-skinned mother that has a very dark-skinned daughter named Lula Ann. Because of their daughter’s dark-skinned color, her husband Louis abandons her, assuming she had an affair, but sends … Click for a larger image. Born to light-skinned parents, Lula Ann's skin is unexpectedly dark, described by Sweetness as "Sudanese black" and "blue-black." Louis is Sweetness's ex-husband and Lula Ann's father. Really wrong. Presentation of the text. Sing is an Indian woman also known as Singing Bird. The language of “Sweetness” by Toni Morrison is generally simple and easy to follow, resembling the monologue of someone in front of a listener. Sula (1974) is Toni Morrison’s second published novel. Sweetness By Toni Morrison It’s not my fault. Sweetness says blue-blacks are featured prominently and ubiquitously in TV, magazines, commercials, and movies. However, the story recounts events that took place in the 1990s: “Back in the nineties, when Lula Ann was born” (ll. Story (Novel Excerpt): "Sweetness" Author: Toni Morrison Rating: $/Meh Review: I'm not a big fan of the novel excerpt as New Yorker fiction piece for the week, but here it is and here we are. Louis abandons Sweetness and Lula Ann. So you can’t blame me. Olson, Maxwell. She was so black she scared me. 4-5). I didn’t do it and have no idea how it happened. Sweetness is a light-skinned black woman with "good hair" who has grown up with certain privileges because of her ability to pass as white. In these notes, we will focus on summary, structure, characters, setting, narrator and point of view, language, themes and message. The short story Sweetness by Toni Morrison was published in The New Yorker 9th of February 2015. From the beginning of the story, we find out that the light-skinned African-American mother is repelled by her own daughter’s dark skin : “It’s not my fault. Toni Morrison 's short story " Sweetness," published in 2015, is about a light-skinned black mother who gives birth to a dark-skinned daughter who the mother fears and struggles to love. 1931) is an award-wining African-American writer. In God Help the Child, she takes her central character, a woman named Bride, back to childhood in order to move her forward. We will examine the main characters, the narrator and Lula Ann/Bride, and their relationship. Characters The most important character in the short story “Sweetness” by Toni Morrison is the narrator, called 'Sweetness' by her daughter. The mother is embarrassed to have a child with dark skin, so she tells the daughter to call her Sweetness instead of Mama. Click for a larger image. "Sweetness Characters". Since whites have more privileges in society simply based on the color of their skin, it is common for blacks to want to be white or be able to at least pass as white. She narrates how she dealt with giving birth to a dark-skinned girl (Lula Ann/Bride), when she and her husband (Louis) were fair-skinned and mixed-race.