El Tablero de Control del instrumento

Wh e n Cu l t u r e s Co l l i d e

T h e cru x of T a r B a b y is th e t a u t conflict b e tw ee n Son, th e p ro d ig al

Son, a n d J a d in e , th e d ile tta n te . Son is a ro o tle ss m a n w ith a v io le n t

p a s t. H is ex p lo its fra m e th e novel as h e is, lik e J a d in e , c o n sta n tly on th e

m ove. S a n d r a P o u c h e t P a q u e t th eo rize s t h a t in T a r B a b y to be in m o tio n

is "to be in th e b u sin e ss of m a k in g y o u r s e lf (512). B o rn in Eloe, F lo rid a,

S on fled from h is n a tiv e la n d to avoid a m u rd e r conviction. H is

a b a n d o n m e n t of h is p o st by diving ov erb o ard a n d h is su b s e q u e n t

im m e rs io n in th e C a rib b e a n a n d e n su in g em erg en ce on th e Isle D es

C h e v a lie r a llu d e s to b a p tism ; Son re c re a te s h im s e lf by ju m p in g

o v erb o ard . O n th e isla n d h e can a ssu m e a n o th e r p e rso n a , one n o t

c o n n ected to th e crim e h e co m m itted in Eloe. Since th e a llu sio n to

B a p tis m is su b v e rte d by Son’s change as a n a ct of deceit, th e q u e stio n

becom es w h e th e r or n o t Son a c tu a lly re m a k e s a “s e l f ’ a n d w h e th e r or n o t

h e is e n tire ly cred ib le as a re p re s e n ta tio n of c u ltu ra l a u th e n tic ity or

“b la c k n e s s .” T h u s, Son’s view s of J a d in e a re also called in to q u e stio n ,

w h ic h is sig n ific a n t since a t v ario u s in te rv a ls in th e te x t h e becom es th e

tr a d itio n a l voice of th e com m unity. It is Son, n o t O n d in e o r Sydney, w ho

a rtic u la te s th e c u ltu ra l flaw s in Ja d in e , th o u g h O n d in e does give voice to

J a d in e 's lack of m a te r n a l (rea d fem inine) q u a litie s. A c h a ra c te r w ho lives

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b y th e tr a d itio n s o f th e b la c k c o m m u n ity , specifically th e sm a ll to w n of

E loe, S on c h a s tis e s J a d in e for h e r la c k o f connection to h e r h e rita g e , h e r

c u ltu r a l co m m u n ity . S on s u p p o rts a tr a d itio n a l view of th e A frican-

A m e ric a n c o m m u n ity t h a t s p rin g s from h is d e sire to r e tu r n to a g e n tle r

tim e w h e n h e w a s a p a r t of th e c o m m u n ity in Eloe. H is view s a re

c h a u v in is tic , y e t h e a rtic u la te s a n id ea l t h a t allow s h im to in te r a c t w ith

th e b la c k c o m m u n ity m o re o ften t h a n Ja d in e .

M o st c ritic ism o f T a r B a b y c o n c e n tra te s on th e d islo catio n of

J a d in e from th e A frican -A m erican c o m m u n ity t h a t c o n sists of h e r a u n t

a n d u n c le a n d th e o th e r A frican -A m erican s in th e te x t. N o t one A frican-

A m e ric a n c h a r a c te r b e frie n d s J a d in e n o r does sh e in s tig a te a frie n d sh ip

w ith a n y A frican -A m erican c h a ra c te rs b esid es Son. A n g e lita R eyes

c la ssifies J a d in e a s one of th o se o u tc a st fig u res t h a t M o rriso n u se s a s a n

e x a m p le of w h a t a n a u th e n tic A frican -A m erican is not (21). H ow ever,

S on is also a n o u ts id e r, expelled from E loe b e ca u se of h is crim e.

E x a m in a tio n o f Son's p a s t illu m in a te s th e tig h tly w oven bonds

t h a t once e x iste d b e tw e e n Son a n d h is fam ily. R eyes su g g e sts t h a t h e

co n n ects b a c k to a n A frican collective u nconscious (19). T h e

c o n n e c te d n e ss Son feels w ith Eloe a n d its in h a b ita n ts is a bond, a fam ily

tie . M o rriso n p a in s ta k in g ly w eav es a ta p e s tr y of fam ilia l h isto ry w hich

H is f a th e r , F r a n k lin G. G reen , h a d b e e n called O ld M a n since he

w a s se v e n y e a rs old a n d w h e n h e g rew up, got m a rrie d , h a d a b ab y

boy, th e b a b y w a s called O ld M a n 's son u n til th e second child w a s

b o rn a n d th e f ir s t b ecam e sim p ly Son. T h ey all u se d to be h e re --all

of th e m . H o race w ho lived in G ain esv ille, F r a n k G. w ho died in

K o rea, h is s is te r F ra n c in e w ho w as in a m e n ta l hom e in

Ja c k s o n v ille , a n d th e b ab y g irl P o rk y G re e n w ho still lived in Eloe,

so S o ld ier sa id , b u t w e n t to F lo rid a A a n d M on a tr a c k

sc h o la rsh ip . T h ey h a d all b een in th is h o u se to g e th e r a t one tim e

w ith h is m o th e r. (212)

M o rriso n gives S o n th is fam ily h isto ry , w h ile sh e gives J a d in e a w istfu l,

sh a d o w y m em o ry of a m o th e r a n d no m e n tio n of a fa th e r. N o t only does

th is h is to ry co n n ect Son to a com m unity, b u t it also e x p la in s h is

b e h av io r. S on left ho m e b ecau se of h is u n fa ith fu l w ife w hom h e k illed in

a fit of p a ssio n . M o rriso n d ep icts Son a s a victim of th e A m e ric an ju stic e

sy ste m t h a t did n o t u n d e rs ta n d h is o v erw h elm in g love for h is w ife an d

th e p a in h e fe lt a t h e r in fid elity . S he e x p la in s h is b e h av io r th ro u g h h is

b a c k g ro u n d , b u t does n o t do th e sa m e for J a d in e ; th u s , we c an n o t

sy m p a th iz e w ith J a d in e b ecau se w e n e v e r see how h e r c h a ra c te r

developed.

In s t a r k c o n tra s t to J a d in e , Son also h a s tr u e frien d sh ip s. Soldier,

S on's b e s t frien d , is th e firs t p erso n Son g re e ts w h e n h e r e tu r n s to Eloe;

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b o n d s w ith people w ith w h o m h e h a s s h a r e d deep e m o tio n al ex p erien ces.

J a d i n e ’s frie n d s, p rim a rily w h ite s, a re p o rtra y e d a s v a g u e g h o sts of

fig u re s w ho allow J a d in e to s u b le t th e ir a p a r tm e n ts a n d w ho c h a t w ith

h e r on th e p h o n e, illu s tr a tin g th e su p e rfic ia l n a tu r e of h e r re la tio n s h ip s

w h e n c o m p a red to S on's deep, em o tio n al re u n io n s w ith h is b lack frien d s.

M o rriso n se em s to im p ly t h a t th e affin ity Son h a s w ith o th e rs in Eloe

r e s u lts from t h e ir co m m u n al p a st; everyone in E loe know s everyone else

a n d th e y a re all a p a r t o f a n e x te n d ed fam ily. T h e novel su g g e sts t h a t

h is to ry fo rm s th e ro o ts o f Son's life co n n ectin g h im to h is co m m u n ity a n d

h is c u ltu r a l p a st.

S o n 's re la tio n s h ip s a re n o t w ith o u t th e ir p ro b lem s, how ever, as

ev id en ced by h is conflict w ith h is fa th e r. F o r in sta n c e , on one occasion

S on s e n t m o n ey to h is fa th e r, b u t failed to w rite a sin g le w ord of g reetin g .

W h en h is f a th e r. O ld M an , a sk s w h y h e n e v e r w ro te a no te, Son sto p s

a n d p o n d e rs th e q u e stio n . H e re m e m b e rs how h e u su a lly s e n t a w o m an

o u t to b u y s ta m p s a n d m ail h is le tte rs . H e re m e m b e rs t h a t h e w as

a lw ay s in a h u r r y , h e h a d no tim e. H is e x p la n a tio n to h is f a th e r is t h a t

h e d id n 't w a n t an y o n e to tra c e h im , b u t even h e acknow ledges t h a t th e

ex cu se "w as too la m e a n excuse to c o n tin u e w ith " (215). F u r th e r , upon

r e tu r n in g to Eloe, Son does n o t im m e d ia te ly go to g re e t h is fa th e r, b u t

goes to S o ld ier's h o u se to h a v e a re u n io n w ith h is frien d . T h is p referen ce

th e n a r r a to r . B o th th e s e a ctio n s call in to q u e stio n S on’s c h a ra c te r a n d

h is sin c e rity .

T h e c o m m u n ity , w ith th e ex cep tio n of h is fa th e r, n e v e r co m m en ts

on S o n ’s m isb e h a v io r. E v en h is f a th e r re fu se s to b lam e h im for h is

a c tio n s, q u e stio n in g h im b u t n o t ju d g in g him . C onversely, J a d in e ’s

d is ta n c e from O n d in e a n d S ydney, h e r c aree r, h e r e n tire life a re in d icted

b y M a rie -T h e re se , Son, O n d in e, Sydney, th e c a n a ry w o m a n — a lm o st