Elizabeth Felz
Dr. Nelson
Home
October 26th, 2016
Home and Identity
Toni Morrison’s novel Home depicts the living conditions of black women, especially
black women who have been dispossessed of their identity and rights. Morrison accomplishes
this by illustrating how black women, particularly Cee and Lily, are robbed of their rights and
identity through patriarchal power and colonial power. Cee is always under the watchful eye of
Frank, is bereaved by the nasty Prince, and made a victim of eugenics experimentation by the
doctor. Like Cee, Lily is also oppressed by patriarchal power. Lily desires to buy a home, yet
Frank lacks enthusiasm for purchasing a home and the powers that be will not allow Lily to live
in her desired neighborhood because of her race. Home follows Cee and Lily on their journey to
find their own space (home) in an oppressive society and to reclaim their identity.
It can be said that Cee has been homeless since birth. Cee was, “delivered on a mattress
in Reverend Bailey’s church basement” (Morrison, 40), which Lenore believes is, “a very bad
sign for Cee’s future that she was born on the road. Decent women delivered babies at home,
attended by good Christian women” (Morrison, 44). Because of how Cee entered the world,
Lenore believes Cee is worse off than the children of street women and prostitutes because at
least those women, “had a roof overhead when their baby came” (Morrison, 44).
It is the lack of attention and affection from her parents and the cruelness of Lenore that
motivates Cee to find a home of her own, which she believes is best achieved by marriage.
However, Frank’s protective eye makes meeting young men difficult. As Cee matures she is,
“prevented from any real flirtation because of her big brother, Frank. The boys knew she was
off-limits because of him” (Morrison, 47). Though Frank’s protectiveness has good intentions, it
actually inhibits Cee from knowing her preferences in young men and that she is worthy of being
loved and respected by a man. Cee gets a reprieve from Frank’s hovering when he enlists in the
army, which is why, “she fell for what Lenore called the first thing she saw wearing belted
trousers instead of overalls” (Morrison, 47).
Both Frank and Lotus cause Cee to feel limited, which is why she, “ran off with a rat”
(Morrison, 47). Frank and Lotus cause Cee to feel limited because they are essentially oppressing
her. By showing Cee’s living conditions early on in her life, Morrison is showing the conditions
of black women living in the patriarchal society that is silencing them. Prince is also
representational of the patriarchal society. Through Cee Prince has access to a vehicle and the
easiest way to gain access to the vehicle is by marrying Cee. Prince essentially treats Cee as an
object by using her a means to acquire the vehicle.
Dr. Beauregard Scott, Cee’s employer, is not only representational of patriarchal power,
but colonial power as well. Cee sees all the books in the Dr. Scott’s office and believes that he is
trying to help people. However, little does Cee know that Dr. Scott is exploiting black women
and children for the sake of research in eugenics. Cee believes Dr. Scott is a good man and, “her
admiration for the doctor grew even more when she noticed how many more poor people-
women and girls, especially- he helped” (Morrison, 64). Dr. Scott uses his position as a doctor
and a man to exercise control over Cee. Dr. Scott has dominate power as a white man and by
doing these eugenic experiments he is discovering ways to preserve his race at the detriment of
another; thus, creating colonial power.
Lily experiences patriarchal and colonial power through Frank and the community she
tries to make a home for herself in. Lily has dreams to become a seamstress with her own shop
who has a home of her own. Frank has no ambition and no desire to purchase a home with Lily.
Frank simply wants to, “stay alive” (Morrison, 79), which is to say that he does not share the
same enthusiasm for life that Lily does. Lily wants to make a life with Frank, yet for Frank, Lily
is a source of comfort that keeps the memories of war at bay. Lily wants an emotional
relationship and Frank sees their companionship as purely physical because her presence
provides him with comfort. So, Lily’s, “resentment was justified by his clear indifference, along
with his combination of need and irresponsibility” (Morrison, 79).
Lily is subject to colonial power when she is told about the restrictions pertaining to race
in the neighborhood she is trying to purchase a home in. Regardless of being able to afford one
of the homes, she is still not permitted to purchase a home due to being black. The dominate race
dictating where Lily can live is an exercise in colonial power.
Cee and Lily are two women who are subjected to patriarchal and colonial power, yet
manage to find a home and an identity within these two oppressive societies. These two women
discover their worth and talents, which lead them to realize that they deserve a better life. As
Miss Ethel says, “Look to yourself. You free. Nothing and nobody obliged to save you but you.
Seed your own land. You young and a woman and there’s serious limitation in both, but you a
person too. Don’t let Lenore or some trifling boyfriend and certainly no devil doctor decide who
you are” (Morrison, 126).
Works Cited
Morrison, Toni. Home. Vintage Books. 2012. Print.
