John Perry Barlow once said, “Our identities have no bodies, so, unlike you, we cannot achieve order through physical coercion. We believe that from ethics, enlightened self-interest and the Commonwealth our governance will emerge.” To me this quote means that race is an imaginary thing and that there are no physical differences between two people of different races. The only thing that differs between the two people is what they have learned, what they have accomplished, and what their interests are as individuals. Throughout history, issues of race, gender, and religion have always been seen as a social issue that has created great conflicts between people. This topic is prevalent in Toni Morrison's novel, A Mercy, which is set in the 17th century. The various voices in this novel show how conflict is aroused with the social issues faced in that century. It has been said that there is a physical difference between blacks and whites, due to the color of their skin. In Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia (264), "deeply ingrained prejudices harbored by whites...[who] see only the distinctions which nature has made." The difference in color caused the formation of “parties, and [produced] convulsions which will probably never end except in the extermination of one race or the other.” With this notion created by the white race, controversy and racism were born. Slavery has always been a difficult topic to talk about throughout the centuries. The issue of race has always been associated with slavery. Since the beginning of time, slavery and indentured servitude have been seen with a variety of ethnicities. In the novel we meet Florens, a slave who Mr. Jacob Vaark accepts as a paymaster... middle of paper... after Rebekkah is very depressed and lonely. Within the novel, Christians are also represented differently. Lina, who is Christian, goes to church and continues to bathe every day despite what normal Christians do. Lina's religious views ultimately help Rebekkah. With such tension towards religion it is difficult for anyone to have freedom without being judged. The differences and conflicts between the color of one's skin, being someone's property, the roles of men and women and the emergence of religion are all present within the novel A Mercy, by Toni Morrison. It has been said that: “Our identities have no body, so, unlike you, we cannot achieve order through physical coercion. We believe that from ethics, enlightened self-interest and the Commonwealth our governance will emerge.” Demonstrating this quote has led to changing others in a positive way.