The supernatural, powers beyond man that can act as forces of fate, fortune, or fatality. These all powerful and mysterious entities reveal a very looming facet about the human condition, a lack or purposeful direction. The existence of these beings- whether they be ghosts, gods, or ghouls, is evidence of the fact that humans yearn for some purpose or meaning in their life. The concept of a powerful being that is omniscient, or at least more perceptive than the average human being suggests that there is a purpose, or greater scheme to events that occur. This theme of a powerful being guiding the life of mortal beings is present in both Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. Both works contain a supernatural element that guides the characters to a
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The presence of the theme of family is most apparent in analysis of the titular character in Morrison’s work, Beloved. Moreover, Beloved is not a ghost in the traditional sense. She exists as a revenant, a spirit in physical form. Her countenance is that of a young girl, but her “voice was so low and rough …[Sethe, Denver, and Paul D] heard the voice first—later the name” (Morrison Kindle Location 892). This contradiction of character traits sets up a running theme of peculiarity with Beloved. Initially, without explicitly stating her origins, it is suggested that Beloved is the victim of Sethe’s act of infanticide. Morrison subtly introduced this idea through Beloved’s description of her “big black eyes [with] no expression at all.” (Morrison Kindle Locations 948-949). This has somewhat of a double meaning, as Sethe is described as having eyes that “two open wells that
The presence of the theme of family is most apparent in analysis of the titular character in Morrison’s work, Beloved. Moreover, Beloved is not a ghost in the traditional sense. She exists as a revenant, a spirit in physical form. Her countenance is that of a young girl, but her “voice was so low and rough …[Sethe, Denver, and Paul D] heard the voice first—later the name” (Morrison Kindle Location 892). This contradiction of character traits sets up a running theme of peculiarity with Beloved. Initially, without explicitly stating her origins, it is suggested that Beloved is the victim of Sethe’s act of infanticide. Morrison subtly introduced this idea through Beloved’s description of her “big black eyes [with] no expression at all.” (Morrison Kindle Locations 948-949). This has somewhat of a double meaning, as Sethe is described as having eyes that “two open wells that