Beloved by Toni Morrison: analysis and themes

Beloved is a contemporary novel with the appeal of a ghost story, a mystery, and a work of historical fiction. It is a complex literary work that pieces together a story line of complexity with descriptions of how African-American people were treated before, during, and directly after the Civil War. This beautifully written and Pulitzer-Prize wining novel examines three generations of women -- one who was born in Africa and brought to America as a slave, her daughter-in-law who suffered so terribly as a slave she would do anything to prevent her children from being raised in slavery, and her granddaughter who, saved from slavery by her mother's outrageous action, represents hope for future generations of African-American females. Paul D, a black man, ex-slave, and escaped convict, who helps the women in the story put the past into a workable perspective, is another protagonist character whom the three women depend upon in many ways. Most importantly is the character that the novel is named after: Beloved. She is the ghost whose presence is keenly felt by all who encounter her. The novel is impressive for many reasons including the themes portrayed, the style and structure used, and various use of symbols.

The novel opens with an introduction to a house: "124 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom." The house belongs to Sethe, an ex-slave who had run away from the place of her enslavement, "Sweet Home," 18 years ago. One of the primary themes of Beloved is the issue of race and effects of slavery. Much of the novel focuses on a community of ex-slaves and how they manage to get on track with their lives. The novel questions, through the eyes of schoolteacher, what the difference is between a man and an animal. In its vivid portrayal of the Negro community, complete with their desires and troubles, the novel shows that a colored man is like any other man. The novel also addresses the concern of whether it is better to endure the injustices of an unfeeling people or to fight against them.

Moral ambiguity, of course, plays a large role in the novel. The question of "Was the murder right or wrong?" crops up many times in the book. The answer finally reached is that it was the right thing to do, but Sethe didn't have the right to do it. Had she not murdered Beloved, her and all the children would have been sold back into slavery. Yet, when she committed the murder, she was shunned by an entire community and placed at the mercy of a vengeful spirit.

The structure of the work is compounded with an ever-switching point-of-view. Every character, even the dead ones and half-alive ones, tell parts of the tale. At one point, Paul D. And Sethe exchange flashbacks that finally meld into one whole (chapter 2). At another, the point-of-view switches off between four white people, who unreservedly show the biased point-of-view of some men who view slaves as tamed animals. The diversity of the point- of -view creates a tapestry of Morrison's use of both verse and stream- of -consciousness writing. Strict narrative, she realizes, is not enough to capture the feelings of a people, and she manages to capture them in some of the most well-known passages of modern literature. Finally, her use of objective comparison is extremely important. The reader is constantly stimulated and focused on the characters themselves.

The use of symbolism creates a riddled atmosphere with force and drama. For example, Morrison uses the house number (124) as an implication of a past repressed. Sethe has four children, and the third one is dead-hence why the three is missing in the address. The child, like the number, has been disremembered. Another symbolic means used is when Paul D. refers to Sethe's back as a "chokecherry tree." It is the maze of scars Sethe received by a schoolteacher in an effort to determine how much she resembled an animal. The tree, which is ever-present but can never be seen, is symbolic of the burden which Sethe carries. It is her past, and it is the prejudice of white men against her. It is a mark made by people who believed her to be an animal. Finally, from the discussions of flesh and spirit to the trinity, not to mention direct allusions to the Bible ranging from "she is mine" to the use of "beloved," there are strong Christian overtones to the novel.