Humanity, as we know it, is a phenomenon inevitably imperfect in design. Throughout its history, it has undergone tragedy and discovery, triumph and calamity, over and over again. The majority of these twists and turns are lost to the ages. It can never truly be recovered how these times felt, looked, functioned. The nearest connection between the present and the past, the bridge that spans the void of eras, is written word. By way of this medium, lost culture and insight of times before can be salvaged. The very finest examples are what have been deemed “classics”: books that inspire the most, and not only recount the past, but transport its readers there. Beloved by Toni Morrison belongs to the category of classics because it illustrates, to highly celebrated level, the cultural values of the past time of slavery, by way of its characters, settings, and themes.
Firstly, three characters in Beloved, Sethe, Paul D, and Beloved, elevate the novel to the status of “classic” because of the trials each individual face or represent. These trials are specific and accurate to the period, and provide invaluable insight to the reader. The first of the three, Sethe, embodied a strong, determined woman: a product of her past oppression while in enslavement. Throughout the novel, Sethe unwaveringly followed her instincts, and stood
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But not sad either.’
‘What then?’
‘Rebuked. Lonely and rebuked’” (Morrison 13). This quote explains Beloved’s purpose; she was agonized by the dreadful way she was removed from the world, and insisted on remaining with Sethe. Later in the novel, a young adult woman arrived, whom is believed to be the reincarnated ghost of Beloved. She became malicious, and by the conclusion of the novel, threatened Sethe’s life and the existence of harmony in 124. She became a symbol of how obsession of the past can lead to death and destruction, and how healing requires forgiving and forgetting that may seem impossible to