Tar Baby

In Tar Baby, many of the characters find themselves on either side of a dichotomy, whether split by racial lines or class lines. At L’Arbe de la Croix, the house is split between the owners, the Streets, and their servants, Ondine and Sydney, with Jadine and Son both being somewhere in the middle, as guests. The house also is divided along racial lines, with the Streets being white and the rest of the household being Black. These factors combine to create hierarchies in the household, in which characters perceive each other and their worth based on their identities. The longstanding relationship between Ondine and Margaret highlights the interaction of these identities when Margaret remembers the early days of their relationship when Valerian scolded her for interacting with Ondine too much: “Valerian put a stop to it saying she should guide the servants, not consort with them” (59). Valerian draws a line between Margaret and Ondine, with Ondine being a servant, and therefore not someone worthy of Margaret’s personal attention and friendship. When Margaret seeks to push back against Valerian, she builds her argument upon Ondine’s race: “And although the theme of her defense in the argument was that Ondine (if not all colored people) was just as good as they were, she didn’t believe it” (59).