Character Analysis of Booker Starbern in God Help the Child

吳楠

Booker is the hero of the novel.The stories of Booker closely related to the theme.Therefore，the character analysis of Booker is crucial to the understanding of the novel.The character of Booker has many aspects：1.He loves music and knowledge，and he is very thoughtful；2.He holds grudge about his brothers death，and he hates people who abuse children；3.He cannot deal with the relationship with others；4.He hates oppression.

I.The love for music and knowledge，a thoughtful soul.

The heros name Booker has a revelatory meaning.He grew up in a happy family which attached great importance to book and music.Instead of a television or Internet，they had books，newspapers，and a radio.His parents and siblings loved reading，thinking and interchanging of thoughts.And with the two thought-provoking questions，Booker developed the ability of thinking deeply and independently.And He had a strong critical mind.During his undergraduate time，he took multiple courses in African-American studies，but he couldnt find answers to his questions.He suspected that the answers were linked with the oppressed history of blacks.Therefore，he continued his study.As a graduate student，he turned to economics，He tried to figure out the omnipotence of money.He always thought about the history of the blacks and the oppression they experienced.He cared about his races fate.And he wanted to figure out the good and evil of money.He loved music.In order to ease his pain of losing his brother，Booker went to learn trumpet.And concentrating on studying trumpet did give him peace and pleasure.

II.He holds grudge about his brothers death，and he hates people who abuse children.

As a childhood trauma，his brothers death influenced him a lot.After the police found Adam，he witnessed his brothers remains.I think his parents shouldnt let him go there.Because he was too young to witness such a disaster.He had a close relationship with Adam，After lost Adam，he always felt alone.After the murderer was caught，he thought the criminal shouldnt be punished by death，instead，he should be punished by more cruel penalties，like carrying the victims rotting corpse around.He couldnt move on.As a result，he hated people who abuse children.In the novel，there are several scenes that he got into a fight：one is on his way to go to class，he beat a man who wants to sexually abuse little kids；one is he fights with a couple who ignored their child；and he even breaks up with Bride，because he thinks that Bride tried to help a criminal who sexually abused children.Bookers childhood experience is unusual.If we seek to analyze his character comprehensively，we have to explore his childhood trauma deeply.

III.He cannot deal with the relationship with others.

Booker cannot ease his pain and anger because of his brothers death.Its a kind of childhood trauma.As a result，he cannot deal with the relationship with others very well.First of all，he had a bad relationship with his family.He didnt reach an agreement with his family about establishing a memorial，a foundation or something in his brothers name.He couldnt understand how they can pretend that it didnt happened.Secondly，when he found people who wanted to hurt children，instead of turning to the police for help，he always resorted to violence.Thus he always got into fights with people，even got himself in trouble.We can also see that childhood trauma can lead to a persons propensity of violence when he grows up.Finally，he couldnt deal with the relationship with Bride.He was deeply in love with Bride.He gave an ear to Brides miserable childhood experience.And during this process，the remedial function of utterance soothed Brides emotional pain.But Booker himself failed to open his heart to Bride.He couldnt tell Bride his childhood trauma，which led to the misunderstanding between them and their later break-up.

IV.He hates oppression.

First of all，he hates racial oppression.He felt it when he was little.He recalled that when the police responded to their plea for help，they immediately searched the Starberns house，and checked to see if the father had a police record.Then they dropped it.“ Another little black boy gone.So？” This sentence shows the polices different treatment of black people.And after he beat the criminal who wanted to sexually abuse little children，he immediately walked away because he was afraid that other people would think he is the lawless one.This is a common perception that the black people tend to commit crimes.The police usually harass black people，and ask them offensive questions.This is racial discrimination and oppression.But Booker didnt hate himself for being black.He told Bride “Scientifically theres no such thing as race，so racism without race is a choice.” This word also reflects his deep thinking about human equality，.Besides，he hates class oppression.As a graduate student，he studied economics，in order to learn how money shaped every single oppression in the world.He didnt like his grandfather，for he made his money as an unforgiving slumlord and contempted everybody not as rich as he was.Whats more，he knew Brooklyn looked down upon him.She believed that he coveted Brides money.When Brooklyn seduced him，he belittled her by metaphorizing her as “dung”.

V.Conclusion

Booker is a well-educated young man.He has a deep thought about race，human and society.Because of childhood trauma，he was incapable of dealing with the relationship with others.But later after a frank talk with Bride about his brother Adam，through functional utterance，he finally achieved emotional recovery.And he is ready to raise a child with Bride.Here the author shows an optimistic attitude towards their future.And the characterization of Booker becomes mature and round.

Work Cited

[1] Toni Morrison，God Help the Child [M]，Clays Ltd，St Ives Plc，2015.

[2] 郝素玲，創傷 孩子 未來——托尼·莫里森新作《上帝幫助孩子》簡論[J]，外國文學動態研究，2016（2）.

[3] 李明嬌，論《上帝救助孩子》中的人物命名藝術[J]，牡丹江大學學報，2017.11，55-59.

[4]王守仁，吳新云.走出童年創傷的陰影，獲得心靈的自由和安寧——讀莫里森新作《上帝救助孩子》[J]，當代外國文學，2016（1）.

（作者單位：云南大學）