Reconciliation In Toni Morrison's Beloved

The 1800’s represents a time of darkness in the United States’ history, a time when the horrid idea of slavery still lingered. In Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, it represents one of the darkest ideologies a man can possess: treating another human being with inhumane actions. One of its main character, Beloved, shows the reader how the past defines the future. She forces the characters in the novel, most notably her mother, to first recognize the pain and suffering from their past before they can begin to further explore their futures. Morrison's style of writing plays a crucial role in constructing the characters' hopes for reconciliation, as well as the audience's understanding of the character's symbolic representation, but it also leaves
This ending is the result of Beloved’s presence as a symbol in the novel as she ties together the disparate generations of slavery. Furthermore, as Beloved is forgotten by the people of Cincinnati as time goes on, “Everybody knew what she was called, but nobody anywhere knew her name. Disremembered and unaccounted for, she cannot be lost because no one is looking for her, and even if they were, how can they call her if they don't know her name?” (274), it brings back the idea of that one cannot focus on the present and future without finally acknowledging the past. It displaying again how the past gives one its identity, while the future holds the true hope and prosperity of life.
By physically becoming the past, Beloved forces all the character consider their self image within their painful past that, ironically, worked so hard to obliterate the idea of identity. Morrison’s usage of symbolism help emphasize on the idea of accepting the past and focus on the future through Beloved’s convoluted persona. She symbolizes both the past and the future of the generation: providing the necessary yet cruel reminder of the past while displaying the bright possible future, acting as a bridge between the two time period during the