Candomblé, Christianity, and Gnosticism in Toni Morrison’s Paradise

Abstract

Toni Morrison’s Paradise (1998a) is the third volume in a trilogy with Beloved (1987) and Jazz (1992) that focuses on the theme of excessive love leading to violence. Morrison explains that while in Beloved she examines maternal love, and in Jazz she writes about erotic love, Paradise is about “the love of God … the passionate, even excessive devotion to God as is manifested in how we construct paradises” (Morrison 1988b). This chapter addresses issues surrounding the representation of religion in Toni Morrison’s Paradise (1988a). It shows how the novel uses African heritage and diverse religious practices as a way to counteract the notion of paradise in white Christian discourse. Specifically, the novel uses the Afro-Brazilian religion Candomblé and Gnostic mysticism in order to make room for an African American consciousness and a sense of identity that stands in opposition to the exclusionary politics of Christianity. Yet, Morrison’s representations of Candomblé and Gnosticism also allow for an interrogation of the extent to which these beliefs can become simplified, exoticized and idealized in Western representation.