The Theme In Paradise By Toni Morrison

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introduced to the town by the women, and by the young people of the town.

When someone paints a red fist reminiscent of the Black Power emblem on the Oven, the older generation of men feels that the community is falling into evil ways. They see disrespectful children, inappropriate sexual goings-on, and a general loss of moral social order (Kubitschek 166).

After the chilling opening, the story backtracks to the people involved in the shootings, and what led up to the killings at the Convent. The main theme and thrust of this novel is in its title, "paradise," and who actually belongs there. The all-black community of Ruby, Oklahoma, where the story takes place, is the residents' view of paradise. Their lifestyle insulates them from the outside world, and nothing bothers them in their little piece of paradise. At one point, Misner sums up the history of the town, and the hope for the future, at least the hope of people like him, who are the new influences, who are ...

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husband Steward says, "If you . . . ignore, change, take away, or add to the words in the mouth of that Oven, I will blow your head off . . ." (Morrison 87). His fear is out in the open, and it is clear that he is unable to accept any other viewpoint than his own, and his belief of what is "right," rather than what is right for the town itself.
Even more paradoxical, the nine original founding families of Haven (there were also nine men who attacked the Convent, this is not a coincidence), were turned away from other towns strictly because of their dark complexions. They have become exactly what they founded their town against - and they can only destroy themselves. "A utility ...

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