The Impact Of The Past In Margaret Garner's Beloved

Beloved addresses the obstacles that were faced by many slaves during the 1800s and before that pertains to the impact of the past on their present and future actions. Their inability to overcome their past horrors affected their knowledge of their own identity, forcing them to think that they are not entirely human, although they have gained freedom. That inability also derives from their isolation from the community and refusal to face their past rather than denying it. The influence of the true story of Margaret Garner shows how dreadful and deplorable slavery can be through her attempts of killing her children just to save them from the chains and fate of slavery. The era in which the book was published, during the 1980s, was indicative
of post-modernist literature, which had a heavy effect on Toni Morrison’s work. The fragmentation of the narrative has a massive impact in conveying the theme of the novel. The discontinuity present in the novel relates to the disconnection of the characters in the book and their confusion of what’s happening around them, hence, their inability to differentiate between their actions in the present, actions in the past, and activities surrounding them.

The fear that characters in the book acquire, is very prevalent nowadays although slavery has gone down. The motherly love that is delineated through Sethe and Baby Suggs is also understandable by every mother in our current years. Despite the fact that nowadays people of all different origins have freedom and rights, the kind of fear that is experienced by the characters in the book is also prominent, even if it was just through the fear of a child from his teachers due to behavior issues or the fear from parents over their reaction if they see low grades.