부산대학교 도서관

This paper explores why and how African American men in the U.S. are missing from their homes, communities, and society. In American literary works, a large number of black men leave their homes throughout history. In many cases, they drop out of school early, wander the streets in poverty, or are incarcerated for committing crimes. In response to this phenomenon, American society and its members have attributed the absence of black men from their homes to the fact that they are lazy, incompetent, and criminal by nature. However, a close examination of the absence of black male characters in the works of Toni Morrison has confirmed that it is not justified to classify them as criminals who have been dishonest or engaged in evil deeds since childhood. Even after the abolition of slavery, American society has not recognized freed slaves as fellow citizens to fill their seats. Although slavery was abolished, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, the Black Codes, the Vagrancy laws, the Convict leasing system, and the Jim Crow laws all blocked the way for black men to enter the industrial sector and live. Since African American men did not voluntarily leave their homes, but were subjected to structural and institutionalized discrimination and exclusion that made them behave in such a way, it is necessary to have a perspective that distinguishes the cause and effect of the phenomenon.