Women of the Dark Labyrinth: Oppressed women in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Sula and Beloved

Postcolonialism theory is based on the problems that started with the West's exploitation of many continents with a political, economic, and moral breakdown of the exploited societies. The theory deals with the results of exploitation, like cultural differences and their outcomes related to gender and race, which directly shape the identity of the colonized people. Primarily, black and poor women are seen as the most victimized among the subalterns. Black female identity has become a complex issue due to many factors. Black women have suffered racial trauma that causes emotional and mental injuries. Postcolonial theory and oppression of black women can be apparently observed in Toni Morrison's books: The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved. Characters are malignantly being exposed to oppression because of their gender, skin color, and social status. Although their stories are different, the emotions they experience and the impacts on their identities draw them in the same ending, which is a labyrinth they cannot get out of. Even if they get out, the life will be dark like their skin. It is important to explore these issues because although slavery is a thing of the past, its traces are still present today, and black women are still experiencing discrimination in different ways. This study aims to explore the journeys of the female characters in Toni Morrison's novels: " The Bluest Eye, Sula, and Beloved "in search of identity and to prove that although each character's journey is different, they encounter similar fate and destiny.