Beloved Essay

411 Words2 Pages
The setting of the novel Beloved was the reconstruction era in 1873, it focused on the powers of memory and history. The past was a burden that the former slaves were desperately trying to get over. To Sethe the protagonist of the novel, her memories of slavery were inescapable. Her memories continued to haunt her. Eighteen years earlier Sethe murdered her daughter, she slit her throat in order to save her from a life of slavery. This event was borrowed from a real life story of Margaret Garner, like Sethe she escaped from slavery in Kentucky and also murdered her child when the slave catchers caught up with her in Ohio. Through the experiences of Sethe's family, Morrison created a powerful commentary on the psychological and historical legacy