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Toni Morrison Beloved Literary Analysis

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Literary Analysis of Toni Morrison’s Beloved

Toni Morrison’s most popular novel, Beloved, displays an array of literary elements that intermingle and affect each other. For example, the setting of the novel takes place in 1870’s Ohio in the home of an escaped slave woman. This setting sets a precedent for further conflicts involving slavery and relationships. In conjunction with setting, a lack of character development contributes to conflict in relationships. Finally, the conflict caused by both setting and character development play into the overall theme of coming to terms with who somebody truly is. The overall setting and lack of character development in Morrison’s Beloved play into the development of conflict, thus affecting the theme. …show more content…

Due to this, a number of conflicts arise. Throughout the novel, Sethe is a die-hard caregiver. Though it may seem bizarre, she had to be strong enough to try to kill her own children to prevent them from being slaves for the remainder of their lives (Morrison 149). At the end of the book, Beloved tries to kill Paul D. with an icepick (Morrison 262), yet she still loves and does anything for her. She remains this way all through the novel no matter what anybody does to her. In retrospect, a number of conflicts could have been resolved, given she had changed. Paul D. used Sethe for sex. The morning after he turned away from her, repulsed at what he had done while she was worried if she had been good enough (Morrison 21). Had Sethe changed she likely would have been strong enough to decline sex, and thus preventing any awkwardness from occurring in the remainder of their relationship. Finally, if Sethe realized who really cared for her, Beloved may not have gotten so wild and Denver may have felt more appreciated. Despite how she treated her, Denver still sought out medical attention for her mother (Morrison 248). If she had not been so blind to who truly loved her, those who did would feel more appreciated and would have stronger relationships with them. Setting and character development all strongly play into the novel’s conflict, which develops its …show more content…

Gradually, Beloved frequently begged for things that she wanted, while Denver worked for them (Morrison 240). Again, Sethe was oblivious to Beloved using her and refused to admit what she saw, if she saw it. Finally, Sethe would never see the love and devotion her daughter felt for her. Denver, when analyzing her situation realized, “she kept them alive and they ignored her” (Morrison 252). These examples are a sampling of the times Sethe has ignored those who loved, and loved those who use her. It is integral that one comes to means with who the people they associate themselves with really are. Sethe needed to accept who Paul, Beloved, and Denver truly were in able to give them the love they deserve and realize who deserves her love. One cannot go through life pretending that a person they love is perfect when in fact, they are using them. One must accept who the people they love are, whether that is good or bad. The unhealthy relationships within the novel are the reason the theme is

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A key feminine quality for women in general around this time period was their capacity for being a mother. Throughout the story, Beloved is one of the many memories that haunts Sethe which she tries to repress in vain because she attempted to murder her own child in order to save them from the same physical, emotional, and sexual abuse that she endured during her time working at Sweet Home. However, Morrison depicts this as an act of kindness. Sethe 's character is given a connection to the audience for her motherly instincts, but also a way for the audience to reflect on the fact that her attempted murders were out of motherly love and protection. Placing Sethe in the scope of many women of the time who had lived without the harshness of slavery are forced to confront the weight of a decision that they never had to make nor most likely ever will.

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‘Beloved’ is the wrenching story of a woman who murders her children rather than allow them to live as slaves. It employs the dream-like techniques of magic realism in depicting a mysterious figure 'Beloved, ' who returns to live with her mother who had slit her throat. The novel is again a powerful assertion of the Black Woman 's

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