Who is the narrator, can she or he read minds, and, more importantly, can we trust her or him?
Third-Person Omniscient
In Tar Baby, Morrison uses a third-person omniscient voice that dives in and out of character's minds like a dolphin at play. You know, a mind dolphin. This narrative technique gives the reader the opportunity to see just how much the different characters' lives and thoughts are interwoven, even in moments when the characters themselves feel totally isolated from each other. In this sense, Morrison gives us a Godlike ability to see human community in a way that's impossible in our own daily lives. It sort of makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside.
We can see a good example of Morrison's weaving technique in the following passage, in which Jade wonders about what Son has meant by asking her not to tell Valerian about Son smelling her: "Tell him anything but don't tell him I smelled you because then he would understand that there was something in you to smell and that I smelled it and if Valerian understands that then he will understand everything and even if he makes me go away he will still know there is something in you to be smelled which I have discovered and smelled myself" (4.347).
This passage reads like one constant stream of thought coming from Son. That would be amazing in itself, but what we're actually reading is Jade's imagined version of what Son is thinking, which pulls the two character's minds together until they almost merge. This kind of connection is exactly what is lacking in Jade's communication with Son. But even if it's not possible between two people, Morrison shows us that it is possible within the world of literature.