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…
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…
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
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…
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…
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