Abstract：Toni Morrison's novel A Mercy traces the origin of American nation, and depicts the religious and cultural conflicts, racial and class separation that occurred in the barren New World at the embryonic stage of the American nation. Through the narrative of survival predicament and spiritual dilemma of the people from diverse races, cultures and religious beliefs, the novel deconstructs the myth of American exceptionalism by demonstrating the absurdity and danger of American exceptionalist principle of pernicious binary separation between “the Chosen”and “its Others”, which provides significant reference to harmonious coexistence of people from different nations and cultures in today's multicultural world.

Keyword：Toni Morrison;A Mercy;American exceptionalism;binary separation;