stranger

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Recommended: Morality and human nature

The essence of a stranger is a person who one has no direct connection with and is essentially strange for that person to induce any sort of personal interaction. Toni Morrison introduces a fisherwoman who she does not know by encountering her personally. This woman is a stranger to her and Morrison breaks down the boundaries of estranging people solely for not knowing who they are in this essay. Since no one else can recollect the existence of the Fisherwoman the actual existence of the fisherwoman is questioned. Despite the fact that this woman may look very similar looking to the individuals captured in Robert Bergman’s photos, Morrison is able to give the fisherwoman a personality and we can compare her to Bergman’s photos.
“[M]en’s shoes, a man’s hat, a well-worn colorless sweater over a long black dress” (Page 80) is the description of the fisherwoman who gave off a sense of welcome to Morrison. This enticed her to strike a conversation with the fisherwoman and invite her into her house. This may seem strange considering the two women have only known each other for fifteen minutes. After the fisherwoman leaves Morrison cannot find anyone else who has any knowledge of the fisherwoman. It could be that the fisherwoman does not even exist. There are reasons to believe both sides.
The fisherwoman must have existed. The reason that no one else can recall the fisherwoman could simply be because she was clever enough to never be noticed. Now the one time she is caught she has her alibi all ready and slips off back into society. The uneasy part of this scenario is the fact that Morrison had let this deceitful stranger into her home who has blatantly lied to Morrison and now knows where she lives. Although a woman wh...

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...ive of what she thinks society should be about themselves. In Morrison’s essay she says, “there are only versions of ourselves, many of which we have not embraced.” (Page 79) The fisherwoman is just her other side and inviting the fisherwoman into her own home is that embracing of the other side. The part where no one else could recollect the fisherwoman is those individuals protecting themselves from that other side and blocking it out.
The debate on whether or not the fisherwoman even exists is the key to this essay. Either situation can drive a different argument on the purpose of the essay. Having the fisherwoman exist shows the dishonesty of and the very reason society keeps away from strangers. Whereas having the fisherwoman not exist shows the kindness that a stranger can hold. Also the fisherwoman represents the other side that Morrison is embracing.

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