Representation of The Korean War in Toni Morrison’s Home

Abstract

This present thesis deals with the African Americans’ involvement in war in general and in Korean War in particular which is either ignored or misrepresented by mainstream history of America. Toni Morrison’s novel Home, mostly raises the awful conditions of African Americans and their community before, during and after the Korean War of the early 1950s. She expresses the outcome effects from the 1950s scenario up to now. In the novel, African American veterans like Frank, Mike, Stuff are enlisted in Korean War because of participation in war is the only option for African American males to run their life. Most of them are killed but only Frank returns to his nation. But American government mistreats returnee veterans and keeps them in hospital for their bodily experiments in order to invent new medicine in America. Another fact, in the absence of men in community, African American women like Cee and Sarah are involved in household activities thinking that city is better place to run life. They are also victimised by their masters like Dr. Beauregard who misuses their body to experiment new medicine and to earn name and fame. After going through these conditions, Morrison visualises the determination by Frank to live purposeful life for his only remaining family Cee and for his community. And Cee’s decision to identify herself as an independent woman accepting her old tradition, culture, life style and so on makes boldness and awakening among African Americans by which Morrison creates counter- history to American history to give voice to marginalized African Americans.