Florens and her ability to read.

One example of where Toni Morrison uses this idea of

Juxtaposition of Opposites in her work A Mercy is through the character
of Florens. Florens, a young slave girl given up by her mother to Jacob
Vaark, does not fit within the confines of her label as a female slave in
the American colonies. What sets Florens apart in a significant way is
her ability to read and write. According to Florens own telling, once
every seven days we learn to read and write, where the man she calls
The Father Reverend takes her, her mother, and her brother away,
hidden in the marsh, to teach them how to read and write. Florens
herself makes clear the danger that the Reverend puts himself in by
doing so. She notes, he is forbidden to do this but he teaches us
anyway. He risks not only his reputation but also his freedom. Here
Morrison is able to create a character whose very ability to read and
write deviates from out expectations but does so in a way where this
girl becomes the driving narration of the story that Morrison has
constructed. It is through Florens letter, through he telling of the
events that have transpired in retrospect, that the story is conveyed to
us.
pg. 6
Lina as both a Christian and a Native.
The Juxtaposition of opposites does not stop at Florens character
although, we see in continued through the vast majority of the
characters throughout A Mercy. For example, Lina, a Native American
rescued by French soldiers after her village was ravaged by smallpox,
grew up in the presence of a Presbyterian community. Lina tried with
all he being to be accepted and she humbled herself before them. They
clipped the beads from her arms and scissored inches from her hair
yet they would still not fully accept her into their community.
Eventually she was left behind and came under the ownership of Jacob
Vaark. Upon this abandonment Lina became something of opposites
wherein she cobbled together neglected rites, merged Europe
medicine with native, scripture with lore, and recalled or invented
hidden meaning of things. The person Lina becomes is one defined by
the juxtaposition of opposites, the combination of her Native lineage
and her Christian experiences. This becomes an important driving force
in her role in the story and ultimately defines not only how she acts but
also how she thinks.
pg. 48