Beloved by Toni Morrison (Review) Essay Example
Cincinnati, Ohio, 183. 124 Bluestone Road. Only a mother, Sethe, and her daughter
Denver, are living in a haunted house. They are African ex-slaves, survivors of a painful
and traumatic life. It is Paul D, another slave from "Sweet Home", that suddenly comes,
who brings back memories of a past that has been long since buried. The more Sethe and
Paul D talk about their past sufferings, the more they are healed. However, the ghost that
haunts the house remains as a mystery.
This book, "Beloved", a touching and powerful social novel written by Toni
Morrison, is a deeply profound reading experience. Morrison uses the same techniques
as the most respectable and admirable authors. These include musical language, as she
stated: "I wanted my language to be musical". This technique gives the novel poetic
lines, like: "Lay em down, Sethe. Sword and shield. Down. Down. Both of em down.
Down by the riverside. Sword and shield." (page 86). Also, she uses small precise
images, that are described in detail. With this technique, the reader can feel as if he or she
can contemplate the image and see the beauty in it. An example of this is: "She frowned
and looked at her daughter-in-law bending toward the baby. Roses of blood
blossomed in the blanket covering Sethe's shoulders." (page 93). As the story unfolds,
the reader discovers the real human nature of the characters by Morrison's excellent use
of stream-of-consciousness. The rememory that takes place throughout the novel
examines a cruel and obscene system of the not-so-old American society. Morrison
presents some demonstrative examples of that last century America, that could be called
"Hell on Earth".
Sethe and her family were all victims of slavery in a place called "Sweet Home",
where they worked at a plantation. Sethe was sexually abused while she was pregnant
of a baby she later called Beloved. She was so
Denver, are living in a haunted house. They are African ex-slaves, survivors of a painful
and traumatic life. It is Paul D, another slave from "Sweet Home", that suddenly comes,
who brings back memories of a past that has been long since buried. The more Sethe and
Paul D talk about their past sufferings, the more they are healed. However, the ghost that
haunts the house remains as a mystery.
This book, "Beloved", a touching and powerful social novel written by Toni
Morrison, is a deeply profound reading experience. Morrison uses the same techniques
as the most respectable and admirable authors. These include musical language, as she
stated: "I wanted my language to be musical". This technique gives the novel poetic
lines, like: "Lay em down, Sethe. Sword and shield. Down. Down. Both of em down.
Down by the riverside. Sword and shield." (page 86). Also, she uses small precise
images, that are described in detail. With this technique, the reader can feel as if he or she
can contemplate the image and see the beauty in it. An example of this is: "She frowned
and looked at her daughter-in-law bending toward the baby. Roses of blood
blossomed in the blanket covering Sethe's shoulders." (page 93). As the story unfolds,
the reader discovers the real human nature of the characters by Morrison's excellent use
of stream-of-consciousness. The rememory that takes place throughout the novel
examines a cruel and obscene system of the not-so-old American society. Morrison
presents some demonstrative examples of that last century America, that could be called
"Hell on Earth".
Sethe and her family were all victims of slavery in a place called "Sweet Home",
where they worked at a plantation. Sethe was sexually abused while she was pregnant
of a baby she later called Beloved. She was so