History and Memory as Manifested in Beloved by Toni Morrison

Paper Type:  Essay
Pages:  4
Wordcount:  1005 Words
Date:  2021-05-24
Categories: 

As a novel that was written after the American Civil War (1865), Beloved centers on the power of history and memory. It recalls the incidents of American slaves, particularly the former African-American slaves in the novel. The author, Toni Morrison, is a renowned African-American scholar who specializes in black fiction. In the book, Morrison explains how the past is a dreadful memory that slaves willfully and desperately try to forget. However, for Sethe, the main character of the novel, slavery memories cannot be escaped. The past continuously haunts her, for instance, the spirit of her deceased daughter, Beloved, whom she had murdered, appears back to her. The author, Morrison, borrows the events in the novel from the real story of Garner. Just like Sethe, Garner escaped slavery and killed her child in order not to allow slave owners own her. It is clear that Morrison chooses Sethe as a protagonist who resembles the black voices that have been historically denied the freedom of language. From the novel, there are a lot of lessons that can be derived, however, the most notable one comes from Sethe's experience that to progress, we most confront the ghosts' of our pasts. The notion that Morrison raises is that America must address the history of slavery to confront it; this manifests itself even today in ongoing racial discord and discrimination. In this light, the purpose of this paper is to discuss on history and memory as revealed in the Beloved.' The paper will consider some of the main examples as depicted by the characters such as in Sethe and Paul Ds relationship.

Trust banner

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Historical Aspect

Even though the novel was written in 1987, the author intended it to be regarded within the historical context of African-American slavery. Sethe and her family were victimized as slaves back in 1855, and the novel was written as a response to the harsh Fugitive Slave laws that gave slave owners the power to go after their slaves in different states. A study of the novel reveals that Morrison had a growing concern for reconstructing the history of African-American slaves. The communal history of struggle is crucial because it defines the past and the present. The historical transitions can, for instance, be seen when Paul D recalls the events after the civil war when black people became homeless.

"After the war, we saw Negroes hungry and stunned. It was a wonder. They had hidden in caves and fought owls for food..." (Morrison 78).

As an act of historical recovery, Morrison writes the novel to get hold of the past by remembering the ancestors and collecting the painful memories of the past. Additionally, the ghost beloved' has a historical context in that it resembles the African-American woman whose stories were never told or shunned. Generations of women were hunted and stolen from Africa, and as such, the character Beloved is the haunting symbol of slavery. She represents the pain, anguish, and misery that African-American women have long suffered in history. Notably, in the novel, before Paul D reconciles with Sethe at the end, he realizes that Beloved reminds him of his past. While they get intimate, Paul Ds mind is filled with the memories from the past that reminded him of his slavery experiences. Also, as seen at the end of the novel, a common phrase that Morrison uses is "this is not a story to pass on" (Morrison 324). By this, the author implies the need to move forward. She realizes that to tell the tales of slavery; one must recall the past then move forward. This is a message to the American audience to confront the memories and horrors that have befallen the black people through reconfiguring the past in the present (Khatan 107).

Memory

Memory has not also being exempted in this juncture. The main character, Sethe is haunted by her personal histories as well as the history of other people. For Morrison, the theme of memory and the past is significant. Forgetting the past would be like forgetting American slavery ever existed. Sethe suffers through beloved who is the physical manifestation of her memories. Furthermore, when she recalled her past and how she was mistreated by the slave owners such as schoolteacher,' she decided she could not bear to see her children suffer the humiliations and pain she endured. So Sethe decided rather live with the memories of her crime than the thought of how her children would live under slave owners. But beyond this example of supernatural instances, Paul. D is also a critical symbol of memory to Sethe. Through storytelling especially between Sethe and her daughter Denver, painful memories are awakened between Paul. D and Sethe. In Chapter 7, Paul. D remembers how he desired Sethe while they were at Sweet home, and furthermore, this memory fuels his desire upon arriving at 124. Paul. D worked by locking his emotions and memories in an imaginary tobacco tin "He would keep the rest in that tobacco tin buried in the chest where the heart used to be..." (Morrison 73). This delineates that he alienated himself from his painful memories. Later on, in Chapter 18, Sethe is haunted by her memories when Paul. D learns about her crime. This affects their relationship as Paul. D isolates himself from her and goes to 124 to investigate. The passage teaches us that there is value in learning about the painful memories of the past and that as a nation, America should never forget about the history of African-American slavery.

In conclusion, even though Paul. D at the end of the novel reveals that he is willing to open up about his emotions to love Sethe and reconstruct his past, the significance of memory in the play is to remind the American audience of the painful experiences African-Americans have long endured. The history of slavery cannot be ignored or forgotten for America to progress in matters of racial equality.

Works Cited

Khatana, Kadhi. "Toni Morrisons Beloved: Rediscovering History." American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (2013): 107. Web. 4 Nov. 2016.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Knopf, 1987. Print.

Cite this page

History and Memory as Manifested in Beloved by Toni Morrison. (2021, May 24). Retrieved from https://midtermguru.com/essays/history-and-memory-as-manifested-in-beloved-by-toni-morrison

logo_disclaimer
Free essays can be submitted by anyone,

so we do not vouch for their quality

Want a quality guarantee?
Order from one of our vetted writers instead

If you are the original author of this essay and no longer wish to have it published on the midtermguru.com website, please click below to request its removal:

didn't find image

Liked this essay sample but need an original one?

Hire a professional with VAST experience!

24/7 online support

NO plagiarism