Toni Morrison's Beloved
Symbolism in Toni Morrison’s Beloved
Toni Morrison’s Beloved is one of the most powerful works of literature that chronicles the episodes of slavery that happened in American history from the point of view of a black narrator. It tells the story of a slave named Sethe who escaped from her master’s plantation and found refuge in Cincinnati. She reunites with her daughter Denver and finds new love in the person of Paul D. Just as when she thought that she would finally live a brighter future, Beloved knocks at her door and reminded her of her troubled past.
The title of the novel is a significant symbol that initially offers an excruciating dilemma to the story’s main characters, but provides a cure in the end. The character of Beloved in …show more content…
Morrison’s master piece functions as a literary, cultural and historical symbol. She is the dark shadow of slavery that lingers in the life of Sethe even after her emancipation from slavery.
Beloved is a reminder of the crime that Sethe has committed years ago.
She is the reincarnation of the child that she killed in order to spare her from living a cruel destiny that is called slavery. This devastating event is a proof that slavery is worse than death that the mere memory of it is enough to haunt its survivors. Beloved signifies Sethe’s traumatic experience in the brutal and violent hands of her slave owners. She illustrates the almost-permanent impact of slavery that traumatized the slaves before and after the Civil War. The character of Beloved does not only symbolize Sethe’s murdered child, but she represents the rest of the African slaves who died either by famine, by fatigue or in the brutal hands of their …show more content…
masters.
Beloved is a memory- a painful memory of the injustice that the black slaves have endured for years. Consequently, she provides a clear explanation on why the freed slaves still suffer from fear, from hopelessness. She understands why the survivors of slavery despised their race and become ashamed of their identity. Beloved is the only character in the story who knows the story of every African woman who lost their child, who lost their husband, and who lost their family. Because of her traumatic experience, Sethe lost her interest in living. Morrison writes, “she couldn’t get interested in leaving life or living it.” Numbness or passivity are just two of the tragic consequences of suffering slavery. It had engraved deep emotional wounds that did not heal even with the help of time.
Beloved is a suppressed memory that came to life.
She forces Sethe to revisit that part of her memory that speaks of pain and darkness. Through flashbacks, illusions and nightmares, Sethe was able to relive some pages of her life during the period of slavery. One of these illusions is when she mistook Mr. Bodwin as the Sweet Home’s school teacher who took her back to her slave owner. These events have helped her reconcile with her past and guided her to reexamine her present life. After looking back at her painful beginnings, she was able to realize how far she had gone since her escape from the plantation of her master. This thought ultimately inspired her to reconceptualize her future and hope for a better
life.
Beloved provides a clear understanding of the lingering trauma of slavery. By employing her character, Morrison delivers her significant message that the legacy of slavery is a personal and national concern for African-Americans. Beloved is a representation of the thousands of freed slaves and their families who remained troubled with their past. She lectures them to recognize their legacy, feel the pain, and in the end accept such legacy because only in doing so that they can start a new life. Andrews and McKay (2009) agrees that it is indeed painful for a black American to admit and explore the reality and memory of slavery. They pay a great price for evading slavery- spiritual and intellectual death. But, only through their willing acceptance of the meaning of slavery that they can achieve true freedom.
Beloved guides Sethe into a healing process where she was urged to experience the pain of slavery again.Though time is a great healer, it will not succeed in healing the wounds of slavery without the willingness of Sethe to accept their dark legacy. As a whole, Morrison’s novel provides a faithful portrayal of the hardships that the black slaves have suffered. It elaborates the enduring impact of slavery to the surviving community of slaves, but recommends a solution to their struggles. It inspires them to rediscover their past in order for them to be able to regain their lost identity and finally free themselves from the prison of self-imposed suffering.
References:
Morrison, T., (2004) Beloved. Reprint edition. New York: Vintage Publishing
Andrews, W., and McKay, N., 1999. Toni Morrison 's Beloved: A Case Work. [e-book] Available at: Google books. <http://books.google.com.>
Toni Morrison’s Beloved is one of the most powerful works of literature that chronicles the episodes of slavery that happened in American history from the point of view of a black narrator. It tells the story of a slave named Sethe who escaped from her master’s plantation and found refuge in Cincinnati. She reunites with her daughter Denver and finds new love in the person of Paul D. Just as when she thought that she would finally live a brighter future, Beloved knocks at her door and reminded her of her troubled past.
The title of the novel is a significant symbol that initially offers an excruciating dilemma to the story’s main characters, but provides a cure in the end. The character of Beloved in …show more content…
Morrison’s master piece functions as a literary, cultural and historical symbol. She is the dark shadow of slavery that lingers in the life of Sethe even after her emancipation from slavery.
Beloved is a reminder of the crime that Sethe has committed years ago.
She is the reincarnation of the child that she killed in order to spare her from living a cruel destiny that is called slavery. This devastating event is a proof that slavery is worse than death that the mere memory of it is enough to haunt its survivors. Beloved signifies Sethe’s traumatic experience in the brutal and violent hands of her slave owners. She illustrates the almost-permanent impact of slavery that traumatized the slaves before and after the Civil War. The character of Beloved does not only symbolize Sethe’s murdered child, but she represents the rest of the African slaves who died either by famine, by fatigue or in the brutal hands of their …show more content…
masters.
Beloved is a memory- a painful memory of the injustice that the black slaves have endured for years. Consequently, she provides a clear explanation on why the freed slaves still suffer from fear, from hopelessness. She understands why the survivors of slavery despised their race and become ashamed of their identity. Beloved is the only character in the story who knows the story of every African woman who lost their child, who lost their husband, and who lost their family. Because of her traumatic experience, Sethe lost her interest in living. Morrison writes, “she couldn’t get interested in leaving life or living it.” Numbness or passivity are just two of the tragic consequences of suffering slavery. It had engraved deep emotional wounds that did not heal even with the help of time.
Beloved is a suppressed memory that came to life.
She forces Sethe to revisit that part of her memory that speaks of pain and darkness. Through flashbacks, illusions and nightmares, Sethe was able to relive some pages of her life during the period of slavery. One of these illusions is when she mistook Mr. Bodwin as the Sweet Home’s school teacher who took her back to her slave owner. These events have helped her reconcile with her past and guided her to reexamine her present life. After looking back at her painful beginnings, she was able to realize how far she had gone since her escape from the plantation of her master. This thought ultimately inspired her to reconceptualize her future and hope for a better
life.
Beloved provides a clear understanding of the lingering trauma of slavery. By employing her character, Morrison delivers her significant message that the legacy of slavery is a personal and national concern for African-Americans. Beloved is a representation of the thousands of freed slaves and their families who remained troubled with their past. She lectures them to recognize their legacy, feel the pain, and in the end accept such legacy because only in doing so that they can start a new life. Andrews and McKay (2009) agrees that it is indeed painful for a black American to admit and explore the reality and memory of slavery. They pay a great price for evading slavery- spiritual and intellectual death. But, only through their willing acceptance of the meaning of slavery that they can achieve true freedom.
Beloved guides Sethe into a healing process where she was urged to experience the pain of slavery again.Though time is a great healer, it will not succeed in healing the wounds of slavery without the willingness of Sethe to accept their dark legacy. As a whole, Morrison’s novel provides a faithful portrayal of the hardships that the black slaves have suffered. It elaborates the enduring impact of slavery to the surviving community of slaves, but recommends a solution to their struggles. It inspires them to rediscover their past in order for them to be able to regain their lost identity and finally free themselves from the prison of self-imposed suffering.
References:
Morrison, T., (2004) Beloved. Reprint edition. New York: Vintage Publishing
Andrews, W., and McKay, N., 1999. Toni Morrison 's Beloved: A Case Work. [e-book] Available at: Google books. <http://books.google.com.>