Georgia State University ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University English Theses Department of English Summer 8-7-2010 ‘Sugarman Done Fly Away’: Kindred Threads of Female Madness and Male Flight in the Novels of Toni Morrison and Classical Greek Myth Ebony O. McNeal Georgia State University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_theses Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Recommended Citation McNeal, Ebony O., "‘Sugarman Done Fly Away’: Kindred Threads of Female Madness and Male Flight in the Novels of Toni Morrison and Classical Greek Myth." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2010. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/english_theses/92 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of English at ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks @ Georgia State University. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. ‘SUGARMAN DONE FLY AWAY’: KINDRED THREADS OF FEMALE MADNESS AND MALE FLIGHT IN THE NOVELS OF TONI MORRISON AND CLASSICAL GREEK MYTH by EBONY OLIVIA MCNEAL Under the Direction of Kameelah Martin Samuel ABSTRACT Madness in women exists as a trope within the literature from the earliest of civilizations. This theme is evident and appears to possess a link with male dysfunction in several of Toni Morrison’s texts. Lack of maternal accountability has long served as a symptom of female mental instability as imposed by patriarchal thought. Mothers who have neglected or harmed their young across cultures and time periods have been forcibly branded with the mark of madness. Female characters in five of Morrison’s novels bear a striking resemblance to the female archetypes of ancient Greece.