Thursday, April 4, 2013
Beloved by Toni Morrison
I am not going to lie. Getting any connection between my big question and the book Beloved has been a struggle. Sethe kills her own daughter. If this doesn't go against the grain I have no idea what going against the grain could possibly be. Although, what Sethe did was wrong she did challenge society but then runs from it and locks herself into her house. Why Sethe kills her daughter is because of fear. She can't face her fears of slavery and kills Beloved with the idea that she can play God. She thinks she knows the truth of what her daughter's life would be like but in reality no one person should try to play God. It is impossible to predict the future. Fear can cause originality because we may act strangely if we are scared of something. Usually, though, the actions caused by strong fear can be harmful to ourselves or others. Originality is not always a positive thing.
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Hi, Moriah,
ReplyDeleteYes, I can see where it might be a bit of a struggle to connect your big question here. Perhaps the answer initially is to think about what made Morrison create such a story; it's a pretty unusual story, and it might be worth exploring the idea of her creative process. Aside from that, there are some creative acts in the book. Perhaps what is most creative is the act of trying to remake oneself from a slave to a free person. There's a depth to that creativity that goes far beyond creating a story. And what made everyone at 124 create the accepted truth that Beloved is Denver's long-lost sister, and Sethe's daughter? When the ghost strikes, everyone has to be creative, and Paul D seems to master it. These are just a few thoughts...hope they help!