We will read and discuss Toni Morrison's Beloved during the month of February, 2010. As a supplement to class discussion, you may post your additional thoughts about the book here.
Having completed the novel Beloved I would like to bring forth a variety of questions I feel are central to the significance of the work as a whole. (1) One of the primary themes of Beloved is the issue slavery. Taking into consideration each characters unique reaction to the prospect of slavery and white oppression, I wonder whether Morrison believes if it is better to endure the barbaric injustices imposed by an unfeeling white supremacy or to fight back against these oppressors? In fact, is it even possible to fight back (recall Sethe’s attempts to justify murder and Paul D’s unsupported, weak reply that there must have been another way out of the situation)? (2) Slavery and race are also closely tied with the concept of memory in the text – or “rememory” as Sethe deems it. In one way or another, the former slaves introduced in the novel must cope with the horrific, unimaginable terrors of their past at Sweet. Despite their attempts to repress or forget these memories, the characters all find that their past is very alive in the present. My question is does the physical manifestation of Beloved’s spirit serve as Sethe’s coping mechanism – does her experience allow her to come to terms with her physical and mental scars or does it leave her emptier than she was before? I have more questions to come but I think these will do well for now. Feel free to critique my statements (etc) or answer the questions I asked.
Having completed the novel Beloved I would like to bring forth a variety of questions I feel are central to the significance of the work as a whole.
ReplyDelete(1) One of the primary themes of Beloved is the issue slavery. Taking into consideration each characters unique reaction to the prospect of slavery and white oppression, I wonder whether Morrison believes if it is better to endure the barbaric injustices imposed by an unfeeling white supremacy or to fight back against these oppressors? In fact, is it even possible to fight back (recall Sethe’s attempts to justify murder and Paul D’s unsupported, weak reply that there must have been another way out of the situation)?
(2) Slavery and race are also closely tied with the concept of memory in the text – or “rememory” as Sethe deems it. In one way or another, the former slaves introduced in the novel must cope with the horrific, unimaginable terrors of their past at Sweet. Despite their attempts to repress or forget these memories, the characters all find that their past is very alive in the present. My question is does the physical manifestation of Beloved’s spirit serve as Sethe’s coping mechanism – does her experience allow her to come to terms with her physical and mental scars or does it leave her emptier than she was before?
I have more questions to come but I think these will do well for now. Feel free to critique my statements (etc) or answer the questions I asked.