prosthesis

I was incredibly fascinated by Morrison's Playing in the Dark and the concept of ignoring racism/race as a means that perpetuates difference. The choice to not mention race or pretend that race does not exist, therefore allows for those who are racist or who are readily affected by institutionalized or societal racism to continue have racist thoughts or be subjected to racist non-nonsensical ideologies. Morrison's analyses of Sappharia and the Slave girl both reminded me of this concept and of the Imitation of Life and the relationship between the characters within the film. While both stories from the film and text are completley different, the concept of the inferiority of blackness being seen through the superiority of whiteness is ever-present in both contexts. In Cather's novel, and as Morrison brillantly articulates describes, Sappharia is able to escape her maladies, her confinement and lack of attention from her husband through the perpetuation of ruining the young, black, female slave, Nancy's, life. By constructing a situation where Nancy will be raped and therefore supposededly "not admired," by Sapphaira's husband, Sapphaira illustrates her whiteness, and the power she has to greatly destroy Nancy's well being by solely being white, to exemplify the inferiority of blackness. Though Morrison does claim that she is not intended to deem any author or text as racist, Cather's novel can be seen as prosthesis that illuminates whiteness through the degregation of blackness. Similar in The Imitiation of Life, the camera, like Cather's text, becomes the prothesis that illuminates whiteness as desirable and superior through both the potrayl of a black character (Sarah Jane) by a white actress and the unhappiness Sarah Jane experiences because she is black. While when race is not discussed or mentioned it can evidently perpetuate racism, it also appears that when race is mentioned in a "discrete," non-blatant matter, this too can further perpetuate prejudice. Whether or not Cather intended for race to be a huge factor in her text, it cannot be ignored or viewed as a "discrete," factor of her text. Race in Sappharia and the Slave girl and in The Imitation of Life, is crucial to understanding the context of the novel and how each character functions and navigates in the society of which the work takes place.

After reading Morrison's analysis I couldn't help but question, well then, how does she feel race needs to be illustrated in texts/films/music etc? While I am a huge fan of hers and for the most part I completely agree with her arguments, I didn't feel she answered her own questions or thoroughly explained her statements. Nonetheless, I am interested in continuing to explore the possibilities of all forms of technology including books, articles etc, as prostheses to illuminate difference.