Working Thesis
In 2010, Toni Morrison’s novel Home narrates the experience of an African American man, Frank Money, who travels to rescue his younger sister, Cee. The unknown documents Frank’s psychological homecoming wherein he confronts his childhood trauma and re-examines Lotus, the unhomely place he first experiences at the beginning of the story, as a site of community, healing, and self-acceptance with the assistance of the women in Home is an open, communal space where Frank and Cee can heal and find Home, safety, and identity again as Morrison describes it in her 1997 speech. While it differs from Morrison’s previous books depicting Lotus and healing Frank and Cee through a story, it achieves the race-free house, which Morrison’s works had yet to accomplish fully.
Introduction
Toni Morrison’s 2010 novel Home narrates healing from trauma and finding a home. Lotus, Georgia is the title of this novel, which traces the journey of siblings Frank Money and Cee Money through difficult experiences to find a home. Schreiber explains how Morrison uses Frank and Cee’s experiences to understand how African Americans felt at Home in a racially divided United States in the 1950s (15). The novel depicts Frank and Cee undergoing racial discrimination, abuse, war, and medical experiment trauma wounds. Nonetheless, the siblings begin to recover by going back to Lotus and narrating their painful pasts. Morrison illustrates the psychological traumas that African Americans face as a result of displacement and homelessness by way of Frank and Cee’s journey. She, however, also describes the Home as a reclaimed space of shared histories and experiences. In doing so, we see how Morrison deals with the issues of trauma, identity, gender roles, healing, and belonging to the African-American community with Frank and Cee Money (Dobbs, 2011, p. 89). The paper will examine the characters and experiences of Frank and Cee in Home to illustrate Morrison’s concept of Home in the novel.
Frank Money
The traumatizing experiences of the loss of Home and Frank Money’s character in the novel are undoubtedly marked by the experience of trauma. The tragic incident starts in his childhood when his family is ruthlessly driven from their land in Texas. This traumatic experience of forced displacement is the genesis of a lifelong quest for a home (Schreiber, 2010 23). The violent eviction leaves Frank with deep psychological scars that would remain a burden on his life for long. Following the move to Lotus, Georgia, Frank continues to face troubles, this time at the hands of his wicked step-grandmother, Lenore. She relentlessly abuses him, which increases his feeling of uprootedness and strangeness. Frank’s childhood is marked by a lack of love and an absence of positive figures in his life, and he grows up feeling hostile and ignored in this world. Frank’s childhood wounds define him as an adult drifter searching for a home and the inner meaning. The journey throughout the novel is a heart-rending illustration of the trauma and displacement effects on the mind and the human need for a secure home, love, and acceptance.
Frank was determined to escape the unwanted shadows that followed him wherever he went. His decision was prompted by the fact that he could not stand it, having experienced it more than once. That is why he decided to enlist in the Korean War. The battle was, however, a cauldron of brutality that further wounded his past. However, his soul bore the pain of witnessing and even contributing to the vicious acts during those frightful years, leaving indelible scars (Dobbs 89). The moment Frank returned Home was like falling into an endless nightmare. Each night, he relived those terrors of war, and they played in his mind so much that he could not get rid of them; they came to him again in his dreams so strong and vivid that he suffered from nightmares. His memory became a labyrinth with disjointed reminiscences of his previous life slid between his hands like sand grains (Dobbs 2011, 129). It became difficult for him to distinguish between real life and dreams because they had completely entangled each other.
Frank became an empty shell in the mental hospital; his name was little more than a name. Frank Money felt as strange as a magic coin in his pocket. That was a false identity that neither helped nor hindered him in a totally strange world. This solitude gave him peace since it was a wall protecting against a world that made no sense to him anymore. This was Frank’s lowest point of existence, where he had forgotten who he was and security (Dobbs 2011, 119). War had robbed him of his innocence, deep internal scars, and invisible wounds. Desperately, he cried out for something to show him the way from his depths back into the world of normality. However, he kept drowning in his trauma, trying to find the exit from this endless maze.
As if racism was not enough, Frank did not forget about it when he started his journey back home to assist Cee (Bhabha, 1992 147). As he had risked his life for the country in the Korean War, he found that the nation had not changed much when it came to treating its African Americans. He witnessed the gory aftermath of generations-old racism, which included lynching and systemic discrimination of blacks (Ibid). Such scenes were harsh reminders to him that there was still a great uncertainty about having a home. Despite their sacrifices and service to the country, they were not offered the rights they were entitled to. It was as if equality and justice were just illusions in their minds, and the burden of racial discrimination fell heavier on them (Dobbs, 2011 118). Although the situation was bleak, Frank’s commitment to assist his sister renewed his purpose. He knew that fighting against social injustices was among his duties. His way home was more or less about him moving to transform a globe of much-needed transformation.
Cee Money
Cee Money’s life story is a moving tale of fighting against all odds. Just like her older brother Frank, she is forced into a world of suffering and painful experiences at a very young age (Schreiber 67). The two are left to fend for themselves in an unmerciful environment by their parents, who are busy with their daily grind (Rebecca 45). However, the worst wounds to young Cee are caused by the malicious presence of their step-grandmother, Lenore (Lordi, 2011). Cee’s first encounter with Lenore is from the moment she comes into their lives in Toni Morrison’s book “Home” (Mohacsi, 2019). Cee experiences unlimited brutality from Lenore, as she never spares her. Her trauma is not just physical but also emotional and psychological (Dobbs 123). Scars from being taunted with hurtful and derogatory language are imprinted into Cees’s already weak emotionality by Lenorre daily. Lenore’s derogatory verdict at a very young age that Cee referred to herself as “gutter trash” is perhaps the saddest part of Cee’s traumatic childhood (Schreiber 89). These words become a harsh phrase echoing in her head as a repeat of an old track. They add to her poor confidence and her low self-esteem by feeding into her already fragile sense of self-worth.
Lenor’s labels to Cee make her identity almost inseparable from those names. It is no easy task for her to break free from the oppressive narration. However, in this dark moment, she finds herself comforted and shielded from this darkness by her relationship with her brother Frank. She sees him as her safe house, his defender, and the fountain of her personhood (Mohacsi 2019). Despite the bleakness engulfing Cee, Frank’s love and support give her some hope for a brighter future. The strength of the sibling’s love and resilience can be seen in their bond as brothers (Dobbs, 2011 111). Scarred by the agonizing moments of her childhood, these scars remain with her and are forever part of her.
Nevertheless, her story is that of transformation and healing. From where she got home, Cee begins a journey of self-discovery and acceptance, leading her away from the negative storyline that Lenore attempted to impose on her in “Home” (Schreiber 101). The story of Cee Money indicates the resilience of the human spirit and the ability to heal even in the most difficult situations.
Cee’s dream of love and escape haunted her after she had run the suffocating environment of Lotus (Rebecca, 2023, 78). Her desire for a different life pushed her to follow Robert to uncharted Ohio territory.
Nevertheless, it is not clear why the writer says cruel while she was just unlucky. Her dreams of love and freedom were dashed by the cruelty of Robert, who betrayed her and left her shattered and abandoned in a cruel world. It was just as unforgiving. Since Cee was vulnerable, she became easy prey for Dr. Beau, a man who took advantage of her desperation. His wife suffered various traumatic tests, which ruined her body and soul as well. The continuous assaults were just another manifestation of the violation and expunging of Cee’s real self, which started during her difficult childhood (Schreiber, 2010 112). Just like Frank, Cee came out of this nightmare but was heavily scarred because her wounds remained fresh with her. While healing appeared to be a daunting task, it was vital for Rebecca to embrace and identify with these agonizing moments. Cee’s healing journey required her to acknowledge her physical and emotional wounds and the resilience to face those hurdles.
Indeed, Cee’s redemptive journey through the collective quilt stitching in Lotus speaks volumes about the value of community wisdom as a healing mechanism and the therapeutic power of artistic self-expression. The transformation of Cee in “Home” by Toni Morrison goes beyond individual change. It reflects the broader process of recovering one’s sense of self and empowerment following trauma and oppression. First of all, Ce is a woman who has to carry the trauma baggage through her traumatic past (Dobbs, 2011 110). Emotionally wounded, she relies inordinately on men – especially her brother Frank for affirmation and identity. However, Lotus’s community quilting tradition also greatly changes her involvement. To aid Cee, she was guided by the matriarchal figures of the town and slowly pieced her first quilt. In turn, she creates a way of processing long-buried painful memories, thus making it a therapeutic act. Ce’s quilt provides a platform through which she narrates her history and conveys her deep pain and strength to communicate without uttering a word.
While Cee sews the quilt and tells her story in terms of the quilt’s symbols, she recovers from the trauma and starts to reclaim her identity from labeling and role-playing inflicted upon her by others. Through that, she discovers a new feeling of independence that does not rely on Frank or any male to validate her definition of “self .” On the contrary, she is raised as an upright and active individual in a community that raises her higher. In the end, Coe changes drastically. Empowered, she rethinks her understanding of identity and self-worth that was not dictated by the trauma she experienced (Dobbs, 2011 110). Cee’s journey becomes a reminder that with community support, creative expression, and enough courage to face one’s past, one can heal and grow as a person. By quilting and nurturing Lotus’s environment, Cee becomes a strong, independent woman who has reclaimed her agency and finds redemption in self and community.
Conclusion
In her novel Home, Toni Morrison delineates a thoughtful assessment of trauma, identities, and the incessant search for a home through the figures of Frank and Cee Money (Rebecca 103). The siblings have to undergo much torture from when they were children and continue throughout their lives, including racial injustice and physical and emotional suffering that undermines their identity. At the same time, their adventures reveal the strength and healing power of the human soul. Frank and Cee’s turning point came at Home in Lotus, Georgia, where they mingled with the locals (Mohacsi, 2019, 45). Through storytelling and regaining relationships, they reclaim the narratives that define and cage those (Dobbs 167). His storytelling assists Frank in gaining back his identity and tackling his inner demons (Schreiber 134). While quilting with Lotus’s women, Cee discovers a sense of self-worth, empowerment, wisdom, and support (Rebecca 112). As one, Frank and Cee subvert the imposed negative outlook and redefine the notions of masculinity, femininity, and self-perception according to their terms.
Primarily, Morrison demonstrates that one can transcend the fragmentation of trauma through common ties of collective meaning and shared experience (Mohahsi, 2019). Frank and Cee find a home in Lotus, where Morrison’s vision of Home exists – a place that embraces differences and breeds belonging, healing, and authoring oneself. Through addressing their pasts and becoming a non-judgmental community, a white child and a black child become color-blind. Unlike Morrison’s previous works, Home presents Lotus as achieving a race-free haven where he can be fully healed. By having one’s history and through a defining network that rejects the definitions of the past, the novel underlines how one can get back on one’s feet. Lordi (211) says that Frank and Cee show how community provides a way to regain identity and find self as present and peaceful even in times of unbearable suffering and loss. Through their journeys, Morrison would hope that if the women could empathize with each other’s struggles and share resilience, the Home as a place of belonging could be reconfigured.
Works Cited
Bhabha, Homi Κ. “The World and the Home.” Social Text, no. 31/32, Jan. 1992, p. 141. https://doi.org/10.2307/466222.
Dobbs, Cynthia. “Diasporic Designs of House, Home, and Haven in Toni Morrison’s “I “Paradise”/I “MELUS, vol. 36, no. 2, Jan. 2011, pp. 109–26. https://doi.org/10.1353/mel.2011.0020.
Lordi, Emily J. “Haunting and Displacement in African American Literature and Culture (Review).” Callaloo, vol. 34, no. 3, Jan. 2011, pp. 967–69. https://doi.org/10.1353/cal.2011.0180.
Mohácsi, Eszter Enikő. “Possibilities of Being Home on American Soil: The Concept of Home in Toni Morrison’s Novels.” Transnational Americas: Home (s), Borders and Transgressions. Szeged: AMERICANA eBooks (2019), pp. 106-98 https://www.academia.edu/download/60218510/Toni_Morrison_Home_Mohacsi20190806-102759-qu60jn.pdf
Rebecca, Kim. A Place to Belong: Exchange in Toni Morrison’s Paradise. 14 June 2023, https://doi.org/10.46569/20.500.12680/3x816v21ww.
Schreiber, Evelyn Jaffe. Race, Trauma, and Home in the Novels of Toni Morrison. 2010, ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BB16392862.
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