Valerian Street

E111974

Valerian Street is a wealthy, aging white candy magnate and plantation owner in Toni Morrison’s novel "Tar Baby," whose complex relationships with his family and Black servants explore themes of race, power, and moral responsibility.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
Valerian Street canonical 3

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (43)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character ⓘ
literary character ⓘ
ageStatus aging ⓘ
appearsIn Tar Baby ⓘ
conflictWith Jadine Childs ⓘ
Margaret Street ⓘ
Michael Street ⓘ
Ondine ⓘ
Sydney ⓘ
creator Toni Morrison ⓘ
employs Black servants ⓘ
Jadine Childs ⓘ
Ondine ⓘ
Sydney ⓘ
familyRelation patriarch of the Street family ⓘ
firstPublicationContext Tar Baby (1981 novel) ⓘ
linked to: Tar Baby
formerResidence Philadelphia ⓘ
gender male ⓘ
hasChild Michael Street ⓘ
hasThemeRelation moral responsibility ⓘ
power ⓘ
race ⓘ
languageOfWork English ⓘ
moralArc partial self-recognition of complicity in racism ⓘ
nationality American ⓘ
occupation businessman ⓘ
candy magnate ⓘ
plantation owner ⓘ
owns L’Arbe de la Croix ⓘ
personalityTrait controlling ⓘ
paternalistic ⓘ
self-justifying ⓘ
publisherContext Alfred A. Knopf (publisher of Tar Baby) ⓘ
linked to: Alfred A. Knopf
race white ⓘ
residesIn L’Arbe de la Croix ⓘ
residesOn Caribbean island ⓘ
settingOfActions Tar Baby ⓘ
socialClass wealthy ⓘ
spouse Margaret Street ⓘ
symbolizes declining colonial authority ⓘ
liberal racism ⓘ
white patriarchal power ⓘ
wealthSource candy industry ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (3)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Tar Baby → hasCharacter → Valerian Street ⓘ
Jadine Childs → hasRelationshipWith → Valerian Street ⓘ
Margaret Street → spouse → Valerian Street ⓘ