Moral Injury and the Scars of War: A Reading of Toni Morrison’s Home

Abstract

This article examines Jonathan Shay’s theory of moral injury to illuminate the psychological and emotional distress experienced by veterans of war, with particular reference to Toni Morrison’s novel Home (2012). In Home, Morrison narrates the story of Frank Money, a black Korean War veteran who returns to the racially segregated American South and struggles to recover. Because of his acts during the Korean War and the pervasive systemic racism he encountered upon his return home, Frank suffered from severe post-war moral injury that goes beyond the conventional description of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to include the complex elements of moral harm. The article explores how Frank’s experience, including the Korean girl’s death, survivor’s guilt, violence from the authority, and his sister Cee’s medical exploitation, creates distinct but related moral scars. The article also highlights how healing and the development of a renewed sense of identity and belonging can be facilitated by storytelling, communal support, and facing one's own and society's moral failings.