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The Caregiver Archetype In Toni Morrison's Beloved

937 Words4 Pages

In Beloved, Sethe embodies the Caregiver archetype, revealing her distorted view on motherhood. Carl Jung states that the Caregiver sees “altruism and self-sacrifice as the pinnacle of maintaining the social structure. They are selfless and generous in their actions and wish to make their loved ones fulfilled and happy through undying care and dedication” (Yuan 1). The Caregiver provides service and reassurance to their children, motivated by the desire to fulfill their well-being. The Caregiver devotes themselves to a “servant” role, centering their lives around caring for others. Sethe expresses this role, saying “‘It’s my job to know what is and to keep them away from what I know is terrible. I did that’” (Morrison 194). The inherent oppressive …show more content…

The Child image is a symbol of one’s journey towards individualization, representing “‘our efforts to deal with the problem of growing up’” (“Child Archetype”). The Child is “related to future development, potential and the emergence of new ideas within psychic life” (Grobbelaar 1). As the Child, Beloved symbolizes Sethe’s unwillingness to acknowledge her past of enslavement that she seeks to repress. This ultimately encourages Sethe to find herself and move on from the past. According to the text, “it amazed Sethe (as much as it pleased Beloved) because every mention of her past life hurt. Everything in it was painful or lost” (Morrison 69). Despite Sethe’s efforts to forget the horrors of slavery, Beloved confronts Sethe’s unconscious mind, acting as a reminder of her trauma. Beloved forces Sethe to acknowledge the exploitative nature of slavery that stripped her of her identity, family, and humanity. Beloved acts as the catalyst for Sethe’s process of emotional growth, prompting her to establish her own self and embark on her individuation. When Sethe runs away and releases Beloved's hand (309), she rids herself of the violent guilt of Beloved’s murder she harbors and refuses to allow the memory to stand in the way of moving forward. It is Beloved, the Child, that allows Sethe to be free and cement a life with Paul D, beyond the torture of

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