Trauma In Beloved

Beloved Essay Toni Morrison’s Beloved serves as a memorial for all those who suffered and died during the perils of slavery. This novel also serves as a voice for the silenced harsh reality of slavery. Not only does this novel help serve as a voice for all that suffered but the novel’s characters are very relatable with myself and their own personal struggles. Throughout Beloved, the past and present are combined together therefor the past is continually seen/brought forth in the present, both mentally and physically through imagery, typically those relating back to slavery. Morrison’s use of imagery throughout the novel provides an insight to the intensity of the horrific trauma and oppression Sethe and slaves had faced and the extent to which they attempted to

Sethe is constantly brought back to Sweet Home through her old memories, even against her own will to forget about them. Sweet Home is a reoccurring theme of Sethe’s past memories because this is where she experienced all the traumas of slavery and the many experiences that came along with it. Sethe is physically reminded every day of the true hardships of slavery. Sethe’s body bares the memories of Sweet Home; she has choke tree on her back, a maze that Paul D describes as “decorated work of an ironsmith too passionate to display” (Beloved 17). The choke tree that formed on Sethe’s back is the result of her being physically abused by a group of young men. Although, I personally cannot relate to Sethe to her extreme level, I can relate to Sethe in a sense of her physical abuse and torment. I was tormented and picked on by other kids because of my long hair. Other kids saw me a girl and they would push, shove, hit, and make mean regards to me about my hair. This torment relates to how Sethe had no control over her whipping as neither did I have any control of being made of by other kids. Sethe had told of