The Impact Of Slavery In Beloved, By Toni Morrison

Beloved is a novel written by Toni Morrison and was published in 1987. The novel is set after the American Civil War (1861–1865), and it is inspired by the story of Margaret Garner, an African-American slave, who was able to escape from slavery by fleeing to a free state from Kentucky. In the novel too, the protagonist is a female by the name of Sethe, who escapes from slavery by fleeing to a free state which is Cincinnati, Ohio. In the novel, the author seeks to explore the impact of slavery on the individuals affected by it, mainly the slaves, but also the society at large. In a narrative which is non linear with multiple time lines and points of view, the author seeks to present how people living at that point of time are affected both …show more content…
Further, the impact of slavery on society as a whole is explored by the author. In the depiction of Sethe and her actions ,the impact of slavery on an individual is very carefully explored. The deep emotional and psychological scars as a result of being a slave are also explored though the other characters in the novel. The use of the supernaural in the novel also contributes to the depiction of the angst, pain and guilt of the main protagonist in the novel. Through its use the author heightens the painful trauma that events of the past has had on Sethe, Denver and even Paul D. However, to simply state that the story is a reliving of the painful past through "rememory" would be an injustice to the novel. It is also a novel that overflows with different stories which some though tragic and heart rending are also joyous, fun filled and brimming with …show more content…
The prose at times is simply sublime and the words reverberate in your mind long after you have read it. However with the change in perspective and non linear trajectory of the narrative, the reader is at times caught in a confusion of occurrences of events. However, the presence of the multiple points of view by the author helps in a clearer understanding of the emotions being experienced by the different characters. Beloved by Toni Morrison, should be read not because the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, or for being adapted into a movie or for being written by a Nobel Laureate. Rather, the book should be read since it talks not only about the pain and cruelty about human life, but also the hope, endurance and resilience of the human