In general, Morrison does not spend much time on characterization--her women especially run together. Nor does she provide much in the way of historical detail or sociological analysis. In creating the character of the Native American Lina, Morrison recalled in an interview, she briefly worried, "Oh God, now I've got to know all about these tribes," but then decided that the death of Lina's people by plague would save her the effort of research.

Morrison's few descriptions of Lina's traditions are either vague ("she cobbled together neglected rites, merged Europe medicine with native, scripture with lore, and recalled or invented the hidden meaning of things") or seem to be taken straight from the Dances With Wolves school of American Indian neo-hippie mysticism ("she wears bright blue beads and dances in secret at first light when the moon is small").

Such sloppiness is apparent throughout the novel. One knows A Mercy is set in the 17th century only because the characters helpfully announce the year every now
and then. ("1682 and Virginia was still a mess," frets Jacob, and later Lina points out, "Florens, . . . it's 1690").