Lessons From Home Essays Example

Toni Morrison’s famous novel, Home, delves deep into the lives and psyche of the main characters of the narrative, Frank and Cee, siblings who are traumatized by the respective experiences of their lives. While Frank is found to struggle with his post-traumatic stress disorder having returned from the Korean War, Cee is found to work for Dr. Beau in the course of the narrative. The novel explicates how Frank is haunted by the memories of the war. In fact, toward the end of the novel, Frank confesses of committing immense brutality in war that cannot be weighed by the standards of ethical and moral responsibilities. However, in his endeavor to save his sister, Cee, Frank endeavors to find redemption in his life in stark contrast to his inhuman acts during the ravaging war.
On the other hand, Cee has had a traumatic experience while working for Dr. Beau, and is nursed by others in her path to recovery. Frank remains by the side of his sister while she recovers, thereby linking the healing process of her personal wounds to his ethical and social responsibility in life. Indeed, the return of the siblings to Lotus and to their childhood home can be seen as a symbol of homecoming after having traversed through the harsh realities of life. Here, they both endeavor to find their own selves as they heal from the past wounds and traumas. The sun and tree are used as metaphors for the oppression and resilience respectively in the course of the narrative. The very acceptance of guilt on the part of Frank can be seen as a major step toward repairing the act of social injustice inflicted by him. Also, Cee explores her emancipated identity that would undermine her trauma and sadness so as to take her on the path of a better future. Thus, the