Pushing Back the Limits of Death: Immortal Characters in Toni Morrison’s Paradise

Abstract

Much of what Toni Morrison writes in her fiction concerns death and immortality. Both death and immortality are central concerns for Morrison and undergo their fullest exploration in her trilogy. In fact, by taking the afterlife as a peaceful place or even a solution to earthly suffering, Morrison seeks to transcend the fear of death that she considers a step towards eternal life. The purpose of this article is to give a way in to Morrison’s representation of death and immortality in Paradise, by addressing the questions: How are both themes represented in Paradise? What does it mean for protagonists to live on (survive) after death? What is the conviction that guides protagonists through facing death without the dread that is often associated with it? What is the value of the relationship of the living to dead characters? These are the major questions in this article. Our way into these questions is taken from the standpoint of Arthur Schopenhauer’s philosophy, especially his reflections on death and immortality. This article treats Schopenhauer’s metaphysics as a framework to account for the condition in which Morrison’s protagonists are as far removed as possible from the anxiety of death and as close to live in peace as possible within immortality.