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blood red, baby pink, bright orange

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Of all the authors read in this course, Morrison utilized color in the most obvious way. Beloved is a book specifically marked by violence, trauma, and revenge tracked by the color red. It was only fitting to use blood red as the primary color of this novel. In Sethe’s escape from Sweet Home she encounters her first taste of red in Amy’s romanticization of velvet. Amy says, “Well, Lu, velvet is like the world was just born. Clean and new and so smooth. The velvet I seen was brown, but in Boston they got all colors. Carmine. That means red but when you talk about velvet you got to say ‘carmine’” (Morrison, 41). There are few instances of red being discussed in a positive manner and the distance at which one must travel (to Boston) seems to signify how out of reach this positive association is. The comparison Amy makes between birth and velvet brings forth feelings of comfort and purity, two emotions Sethe has never been able to fully experience. This entire scene is wrought with pain and tenderness as she struggles to keep both herself and Denvor alive. While Sethe appears to take comfort in Amy’s stories, I feel they almost taunt her by keeping comfort so far out of reach. The distance she is from peace is brought up quickly following the flashback to this confrontation.

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At this point in the novel the reader has not yet made privy to the events surrounding Beloved’s death. The author gives a hint of the traumatic events saying, “Every dawn she saw the dawn, but never acknowledged or remarked its color. There was something wrong with that. It was as though one day she saw red baby blood, another day the pink gravestone chips, and that was the last of it” (Morrison, 47). The imagery stuck  with Sethe since the day she murdered her infant is grounded in the vibrant yet violent colors associated. Baby red blood is a direct connection to her actions given the specificity and the pink comes from the aftermath of her actions. The transition from bright red to pale pink appears to be a fading of her taking responsibility and focusing on how she resolved the death with a pretty pink gravestone. Sethe is direct in saying she does not see the natural beauty of color but rather the trauma associated with them. In Sethe’s refusal to accept that she did any wrong, she is then haunted in each color she sees every day.

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The character Baby Suggs is haunted by color in a similar way as Sethe, but unable to separate the horrific events from the colors that painted it. Her obsession with moving through each color is described through Sethe’s eyes as she says, “Now I know why Baby Suggs pondered color her last years. She never had time to see, let alone enjoy it before. Took her a long time to finish with blue, then yellow, then green. She was well into pink when she died. I don’t believe she wanted to get to red and I understand why because me and Beloved outdid ourselves with it. Matter of fact, that and her pinkish headstone was the last color I recall” (Morisson, 237). The constant association of pink with death is unique in this novel given the typical use of pink to describe love, romance, positivity, and birth. Baby Suggs death occurring while she was fixated on pink is almost a reversal of Sethe’s transition from red to pink. Baby Suggs never reaches red because of the deeply traumatic connection with the color and thus she remains in the realm of pink as long as she can stand to keep living. It is no surprise that it takes her such a long time to get through blue, yellow, and green as those are purely natural and pleasant to exist within. Her never reaching red is a blessing as she is not forced to reconcile with the violence, death, and pain of Beloved’s death.

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While the color orange is close in terms of shading to red, its meaning in Beloved appears more uplifting. Orange is typically used to describe feelings of joy, happiness, warmth, and freedom. Beloved’s infatuation with the color orange is described here, “It took three days for Beloved to notice the orange patches in the darkness of the quilt. [...] She seemed totally taken with those faded scraps of orange, even made the effort to lean on her elbow and stroke them” (Morrison, 65). This description comes closely after Beloved’s arrival to 124 and one of the reader’s first impressions. It might be assumed that her focus on orange is her desire for freedom and happiness in life. While Beloved slowly starts taking over others lives in a negative light, this earlier scene is full of positivity. Denver is overjoyed to have a new friend and Sethe seems to appreciate the new company of a woman. The closeness of orange to red in contrast to the polarized meanings behind them almost represents the ability for Beloved to exist in both realms of color. Morrison’s palette of colors used in the book appear to closely correspond with the most important moments in Sethe’s life and are used to demonstrate common themes such as trauma, death, and wanting throughout the novel.

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wine-stain red, dark gold/brown

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black, sky blue, deep blue

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forest green, royal purple

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Rosamond is described by Kathleen as being magnificent and rich, which leaves the impression of royalty. Shortly after, Kathleen says “We were never jealous of each other at home. I was always proud of her good looks and good taste. It’s not her clothes, it’s a feeling she has inside her. When she comes toward me, I feel hate coming towards me, like a snake’s hate.” (Cather, 70). It is clear that the riches and idea of royalty went to Rosamond’s head and she feels more superior than Kathleen. When the reader imagines a snake, it is possible that they imagine a green snake with purple eyes, which could be envy when looking at royalty. After Rosamond shows her family her new purple fur coat, it makes Kathleen so envious that she’s showing off her riches, that her face turns green.

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In The Professor’s House, there was one chapter in particular that emphasized the colors forest green and royal purple. These instances all revolve around the Professor’s family, especially his two daughters. The Professor is hypocritical with Kathleen, saying “Face it squarely, Kitty; you must not, you cannot, be envious. It’s self destruction”, as he spends his whole life trying to make his family perfect," (Cather, 69). Envy is typically associated with the color green, as the old saying goes: Green with envy. Kathleen admits her jealousy and says to the Professor “I can’t help it, Father. I am envious. I don’t think I would be if she let me alone, but she comes here with her magnificence and takes the life out of all of our poor little things. Everybody knows she’s rich, why does she have to keep rubbing it in?” (Cather, 69).

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marigold yellow, plum purple, baby blue

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The first notable color that was described in The Bluest Eye was plum purple; a color of innocence, adolescence, and comfort. Frieda says “My sister comes in. Her eyes are full of sorrow. She sings to me: “When the deep purple over sleepy garden walls, someone thinks of me…” I doze, thinking of plums, walls, and “someone”” (Morrison, 12). Purple in a bedtime song reminds me of adolescence because typically a parent sings songs to their child before bed, not a sibling. Since Claudia is singing this song to Frieda, it shows how much she loves her sister and is trying to comfort her. Falling asleep while thinking about “someone” shows the innocence of dreaming as a child.

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Marigold yellow is another color that was highlighted throughout the novel, especially relating to Pecola. The yellow that is missing, in a sense, represents birth, sunshine, youth -  which also contrasts with how disturbing and horrific Pecola’s pregnancy is. Frieda remarks “We thought, at the time, that it was because Pecola was having her father’s baby that the Marigolds did not grow” (Morrison, 98). Frieda and Claudia thought that Pecola’s pregnancy caused the yellow flowers to not grow. In contrast, although the flowers didn’t grow, Pecola’s pregnancy and abusive home forced her to grow up faster than most girls her age.

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gold, skin-color pallet

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Baby blue repeatedly occurred in the context of eyes, typically it being the eyes of dolls. Through the blue eyes of these dolls, it creates a sort of self-hate in children without these so-called beautiful eyes. Particularly Pecola was affected by the dolls, where “each night, without fail, she prayed for blue eyes. Fervently, for a year she had prayed. Although somewhat discouraged, she was not without hope. To have something as wonderful as that happen would take a long, long time. Thrown, in this way, into the binding conviction that only a miracle could relieve her, she would never know her beauty. She would see only what there was to see: the eyes of other people.” (Morrison, 35) Within the color baby blue, it can show birth, comfort, safety, pureness, however Pecola’s dream of having blue eyes is unattainable and unrealistic. So, we can see in Pecola’s life that baby blue is missing and she yearns for it. Water and rebirth can also be associated with the colors blue, which shows how Pecola wishes to be someone else. Lastly, we can see how much impact the doll with blue eyes has on Pecola in her childhood.

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As the first novel covered in our traverse through the literature produced by American women writers, Cather exquisitely paints a picturesque image of the prairie. Despite the storyline being riddled with suicide, misfortune, and xenophobia there is a nostalgic image of Jim’s childhood in the background. It is described in a passage saying, “As I looked about me I felt that the grass was the country, as the water is the sea. The red of the grass made all the great prairie the color of wine-stains, or of certain seaweeds when they are first washed up. And there was so much motion in it; the whole country seemed, somehow, to be running” (Cather, 10). The deep red of the grass is constantly described in almost every chapter of the book and appears to bring comfort and familiarity. This contrasts the common association of red with violence or love which is what brought about the specific shade of red being chosen. The passage above brings the question of what is the country running from? Or is it running towards something unknown? It may be assumed that it is Jim running away from his parents death or perhaps towards his new life in Nebraska. No matter the intention, the wine-stain colored grass carries Jim throughout the novel and his adventures.

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Another instance of yellow in nature specifically is with Pecola and dandelions, symbolizing her innocence, self-hate, and anger towards nature. While she was “outside, Pecola feels the inexplicable shame ebb. Dandelions. A dart of affection leaps out from her to them. But they do not look at her and do not send love back. She thinks, “They are ugly. They are weeds.” Preoccupied with that revelation, she trips on the sidewalk crack. Anger stirs and wakes up in her, it opens her mouth, like a hot-mouthed puppy, laps up the dredges of her shame.” (Morrison, 50). Here, Pecola equates the dandelions to being ugly and that they refuse to love her. Once again we can see that there is missing yellow, as the dandelions “do not look at her and do not send love back”. This could also be interpreted as the town’s views reflecting on the dandelion, since Pecola didn’t receive any support from the town during her pregnancy.

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In addition to the grass carrying memories, it foreshadows events to come. Early in the novel Cather writes, “As far as we could see, the miles of copper-red grass were drenched in sunlight that was stronger and fiercer than at any other time of the day. The blonde cornfields were red gold, the haystacks turned rosy and threw long shadows. The whole prairie was like the bush that burned with fire and was not consumed. That hour always had the exultation of victory, of triumphant ending, like a hero’s death - heroes who died young and gloriously. It was a sudden transfiguration, a lifting-up of day” (Cather, 22). The beginning of the quotation is a continuation of setting a beautiful scenery. The blonde and gold cornfields emanate brilliance and richness. Wealth is not found in all families on the prairie, more often missing, and thus equating richness with the landscape is necessary to find value in life. The cornfields are also quite literally the source of famer’s income and livelihood. I find the saying “burned with fire and was not consumed” interesting as it lacks a literal meaning. If interpreted literally, a bush that is burned is most definitely consumed. This leads me to the connection with religion and specifically the concept of the burning bush. In religious literature, the burning bush that is not consumed was used to symbolize God’s sacrality and purity. There is also a foreshadowing of death in this quotation with the reference to a hero who died young. It is no coincidence that Mr. Shimerda meets an early death at his own hands and is subsequently not allowed to be buried in a proper graveyard. In this sense the darker and fiery undertones are surfaced from within the typical comforting view of the wine-stained grass. It required the narrator to break through Jim’s dreamy perspective to see the deeper truth within the roots.

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Upon Jim’s return to the prairie towards the end of the novel, he once again brings back his love for the red grass he was surrounded by in his childhood. He says, “I took a long walk north of the town, out into the pastures where the land was so rough that it had never been ploughed up, and the long red grass of early times still grew shaggy over the draws and hillocks. Out there I felt at home again” (Cather, 174). Jim has faced a very small amount of adversary in his life when compared to his childhood friends and family and his ability to think of that time of his life in a purely positive way can be infuriating at times. The land permanently evokes a nostalgic feeling for him and makes him feel at home. Throughout this novel there is a direct contrast to the book Beloved when viewed through the lens of color. Red in My Antonia feels like a cozy fire with tall grasses keeping Jim comfortable as if it is a blanket. Cather is very successful at bringing the reader into the prairie through her descriptive colors.

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Early in the novel it is evident that June is impulsive and has had a traumatic past. Repetitively within the first chapter there are different descriptions of eggs, particularly a blue egg. As June was in a bar being offered a blue egg by a stranger, “what she walked toward more than anything else was that blue egg in the white hand, a beacon in the murky air” (Erdrich, 2). The shade of blue-jay blue in this sense is relating to pureness, while the egg is relating to rebirth. Since June wanted to take an egg from a stranger, it shows that she is in constant need of stability and pureness in her life. From losing her mother at a young age, to being involved in an extremely toxic marriage, June has had a very unstable and unpredictable life.

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Before the purple fur coat was described, there was foreshadowing of Kathleen’s jealousy, “Kathleen, the younger daughter, looked even younger than she was - had the slender, undeveloped then very much in vogue. She was pale, with light hazel eyes, and her hair was hazel coloured with distinctly green glints in it. To her father there was something very charming in the curious shadows her wide cheekbones cast over her cheeks, and in the spirited tilt of her head. Her figure in profilem he used to tell her, looked just like an interrogation point.” (Cather, 27). This showed a striking point that the Professor finds his own daughter charming, while they are both bitter and envious.

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Rosamond was “surrounded by violet-dappled fur, with a cruel upper lip and scornful half-closed eyes, as she had approached her car that afternoon before she saw him; and Kathleen, her square little chin set so fiercely, her white cheeks actually becoming green under her swollen eyes. [The Professor] couldn't believe it.” (Cather, 74). Once again we can see the duality of green Kathleen representing a poorer community while purple Rosamond represents the rich. The imagery of Rosamond’s “cruel upper lip” suggests to the reader a snobby queen.

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In The Night Watchman, it is uncommon for Erdrich to use color in a descriptive manner. Many of the ways she brings her point comes directly from the characters actions or mouths. Nearing his death, Thomas’s father appears more entrenched in color than the typical character. He describes what he would like death to be for him saying, “Everything in that town would be golden in color, except perhaps the food, which would have its usual tasty colors blue and purple berries, roasted brown meats, red jellies and breads and bannocks” (Erdirch, 226). Different from the way Baby Suggs is absorbed by colors as she dies, Biboon paints a glorious end surrounded by the best parts of life. Gold is seen as riches, wealth and status which he hopes to bring to the town in his passing. The descriptive colors of the food he would love to eat is not seen in any other food descriptions as those colors are more vibrant than the typical bread and lard meals. This desire for color seems to directly reflect the class differences between Indians and white people and what they have access to.

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Morrison, Toni. Beloved. Vintage Books, 2004.

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Cather, Willa. My Antonia. Dover Publications, Inc., 1994.

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Erdrich, Louise. Love Medicine. Harper Perennial, 2013.

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Cather, Willa Sibert. The Professor's House. Vintage Books, 1990.

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Erdrich, Louise. The Night Watchman. Harper, 2020.

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Morrison, Toni. The Bluest Eye. Vision Australia Information and Library Service, 2003.

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It's all about color_ an analysis of color symbolism in Toni Morrison's Sula and the bluest eye, 2011 _ Atlanta University Center

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Veda Kimber Jackson highlighted the aspect of certain colors missing in The Bluest Eye. She points out that "Morrison begins her novel notating the absence of yellow as an indication that the major characters, specifically Pecola, the young protagonist of the novel, will be lacking in spiritual vitality and fertility" (Jackson, 47).  The color green, signifying fertility, is another color Jackson points out as missing in the novel, saying "Claudia's comment that "no green was going to spring from their seeds" (Morrison, 5) is an indicator that those attributes will also be lacking among the characters of the novel. It also foreshadows that the baby with which Pecola is pregnant will not survive" (Jackson, 47).

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A direct contrast to the lightness of blue is the recurrence of darkness and the color(or lack thereof) black. Black is often used for death, power, mystery, or sadness. In the chapter where Lulu goes to Moses Pillager and becomes pregnant she thinks, “The ice had broken and the black water swelled. I couldn’t sleep. I knew that this baby, still tied to my heart, could drag me under. And yet, each morning, light rose in the trembling mica, and I turned away, to the darkness in his arms” (Erdrich, 83). There is a duality present in the darkness Lulu describes with both comfort and fear present in Moses’s embrace. The black water she is surrounded by is both her escape as well as her having to raise the child on her own. She is aware Moses would not join her if she left the island and this uncertainty in her ability to raise the child lies within the depths of the black water. There is a constant reference to water starting with June walking on it and also when Henry Jr dies in the river. I found the dark blue color in this book within the sea despite the lack of direct description in that way. The water symbolizes darkness and depth in this scene and in many others within the book which brought forth images of deep blue.

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Patrice is a character that constantly showed how dedicated and committed she was to keeping her family afloat. She had to balance her personal life along with making sure her family was together. That being said, the most important color for The Night Watchmen is not one color specifically, but a palette with all skin colors included. By Patrice being forced into maturity because of her family, it allowed her to become a strong and resilient individual. Patrice’s life is controlled by her skin being stretched thin, where she questions her dreams of going to college because she wants to provide for her family. “There were times when Patrice felt like she was stretched across a frame, like a skin tent. She tried to forget that she could easily blow away. Or how easily her father could wreck them all.” (Erdrich, 24). This signifies the immense pressure Patrice has on her shoulders to provide for her family, and also shows her father’s effect on her life due to his unpredictability and abuse, forcing Patrice to take on a mature role in her family.

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"Lavender, which is actually the light purple, symbolizes femininity, nobility, grace and elegance. For Baby Suggs those things are what she longed for all her life. She wanted to be treated like an ordinary female woman rather than a colored slave. She tried hard to influence other colored people to find their dignity and grace back together. Pink, which symbolizes love, romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm. For Baby Suggs, the color pink is as good as lavender. And they can convey the same perception. For Sethe, pink is the color of her daughter’s gravestone. And it is the last color she can remember. It reminds her the fact that she killed her daughter by herself. Hence, pink symbolizes mother’s deep love and tenderness to her children as well as the end of life. " (Yin, 257)

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It is interesting to see the color gold arise in another chapter with Biboon. It is clear that he dreams of riches and wealth after he passes, but it is unattainable. The idea of a beetle with armor reminds the reader of an honorable death. As he finds that “Inside one of the shells there was a golden beetle, like something in a teaching or a fairy tale. Its bifurcated shell was shimmering, metallic. For a moment it rested on Biboon’s hand, then it’s golden armor parted and it flexed tough black wings. Whirred off into the loom, of shadows” (Erdrich, 63). After reading both The Night Watchman and Love Medicine, Erdrich shows a pattern of creating characters not filled with riches. The golden armor on a beetle shows the theme of toughness, which reflects onto Biboon.

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Another character is constantly plagued by guilt of his past. Gordi’s endless torment following the death of June comes to a head in the middle of a drunken stupor. He thinks, “her look was black and endless and melting pure. She looked through him” (Erdrich, 217). He truly believes the time he spent with June may have led to her death and she is now back in the form of this deer to get her revenge. The color black here directly reflects how endless his guilt is and his feeling that it will never be resolved. Black is used in a more standard manner here as opposed to Lulu’s black sea. There may be slight foreshadowing in this section as Gordie ultimately dies without every feeling a sense of closure.

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Rosamond was “surrounded by violet-dappled fur, with a cruel upper lip and scornful half-closed eyes, as she had approached her car that afternoon before she saw him; and Kathleen, her square little chin set so fiercely, her white cheeks actually becoming green under her swollen eyes. [The Professor] couldn't believe it.” (Cather, 74). Once again we can see the duality of green Kathleen representing a poorer community while purple Rosamond represents the rich. The imagery of Rosamond’s “cruel upper lip” reminded me a lot of a snobby queen. Before the purple fur coat was described, there was foreshadowing of Kathleen’s jealousy, “Kathleen, the younger daughter, looked even younger than she was - had the slender, undeveloped then very much in vogue. She was pale, with light hazel eyes, and her hair was hazel colored with distinctly green glints in it. To her father there was something very charming in the curious shadows her wide cheekbones cast over her cheeks, and in the spirited tilt of her head. Her figure in profile, he used to tell her looked just like an interrogation point.” (Cather, 27). This showed a striking point that the Professor finds his own daughter charming, while they are both bitter and envious.