In the historical fiction novel Beloved, the author Toni Morrison discusses the struggle that slaves experienced during the civil war. Morrison uses the true account of Margaret Garner to tell the story between nurture and the ultimate safety of her children post escape. Margaret Garner was a slave who, once she had escaped, killed her third child in order to save her from a world of bigotry, racism, and torture. The characters in Beloved are directly affected by the pain they endured as slaves, such as experiencing inhumane torture and oppression, being isolated from a community, and having to make difficult sacrifices for themselves and their loved ones. Morrison thus creates relationships within the story based in the minds and point of views of the slaves themselves. Each character's past has a unique effect on their ability or lack thereof to form meaningful relationships with one another.
Despite being a strong-willed, independent woman, the main character Sethe is haunted not only by the ghost of her dead daughter Beloved, whom she murdered, but by the …show more content…
From the moment Beloved shows up, her bond with Sethe is extremely strong. “Like a familiar, she hovered, never leaving the room Sethe was in unless required...” (67). Sethe forms a unique bond that she could not form with her other daughter Denver, saying that if Denver was as clingy as Beloved it “...would have annoyed her; [it] made her chill at the thought of having raised a ridiculously dependent child.” (68) With Beloved living at 124, Sethe is also forced to recount her painful history. Beloved becomes extremely satisfied with hearing Sethe’s stories though “...every mention of her past life hurt.” (69). However, Beloved’s obsession with Sethe become detrimental as she grows more demanding of her, symbolizing the pain endured by women who became separated from their children due to
Despite being a strong-willed, independent woman, the main character Sethe is haunted not only by the ghost of her dead daughter Beloved, whom she murdered, but by the …show more content…
From the moment Beloved shows up, her bond with Sethe is extremely strong. “Like a familiar, she hovered, never leaving the room Sethe was in unless required...” (67). Sethe forms a unique bond that she could not form with her other daughter Denver, saying that if Denver was as clingy as Beloved it “...would have annoyed her; [it] made her chill at the thought of having raised a ridiculously dependent child.” (68) With Beloved living at 124, Sethe is also forced to recount her painful history. Beloved becomes extremely satisfied with hearing Sethe’s stories though “...every mention of her past life hurt.” (69). However, Beloved’s obsession with Sethe become detrimental as she grows more demanding of her, symbolizing the pain endured by women who became separated from their children due to