Critical Reading - Group 7 - "Strangers"

The essay “Strangers” starts out in a positive light. Ms. Toni Morrison encounters a “stranger”, a fisher woman, fishing off of her neighbors seawall. After they converse for a short while Ms. Morrison leaves the fisher woman with the unspoken understanding that they will meet again. She parts with images of “a friendship” that will be casual, effortless, and delightful. When the months pass and there is no sign of the fisher woman, Ms. Morrison takes it upon herself to look into the disappearance of the woman. When she learns that the fisher woman did not have permission to fish and had never been seen prior, her feelings change rapidly as she comes to an understanding with herself. Ms. Morrison is annoyed, bewildered, bitter, and disappointed. The “stranger” came into her space and took with her Ms. Morrison's “good opinion of herself, which, of course, is unforgivable.” Upon seeing the outrageously dressed fisher woman Ms. Morrison instantly sympathized with the figure because of associated images often seen in the media. She had preconceived notions of this fisher woman and who she was. The fisher woman recognized this right away and used Ms. Morrison's thoughts and feelings to control and manipulate her through their conversation. She knew what Ms. Morrison expected and she gave it to her. In the end, Ms. Toni Morrison concluded that we, as people, are afraid of strangers and upon meeting a stranger we look past them and see what we want to see in them. Something that we are looking for and wishing to find in ourselves. By being ignorant and discounting the other persons character we are in turn protecting our thoughts and our feelings.