Beloved: Post-Read Reflection
Beloved by Toni Morrison is an interesting and unique book. Compared to other African American novels, it is the one of the only novels that tunes out the perspective of white people. Specifically, Beloved by Toni Morrison is an African American novel that doesn't focus on a black person dealing with issues of racism but rather a mother trying to find peace with the actions she has done. Compared to other books discussed in class, Beloved is one of the few books that doesn't revolve around criticizing America and white people. Beloved is different because it takes place in an almost completely black environment. Racism is implied subtly in the book but it isn't the main focus of the book (although it's still major). Beloved by Toni Morrison is an important piece of African American literature because it is a reminder to black people that there is more to the world than just white people and racism.
The plot of Beloved is a different viewpoint of the effects of racism. Beloved by Toni Morrison is a novel about a woman named Sethe who must go through self-development and deal with her emotions related to killing her children to prevent them from going into slavery. Sethe meets a character named Beloved who is essentially the reincarnation of her children that she killed. Beloved is a novel that discusses how slavery impacted family; Beloved talks about how mothers and parents in general had to make the choice of killing there children. This book indirectly speaks on the fact the slavery was so bad that death seemed pleasurable.
In closing, Beloved by Toni Morrison is a distinctive novel because it brings up subjects of racism without mainly focusing on white people. Beloved surfaces ideas of slavery that most never think about such as how a mother could kill her own children so they don't have to undergo slavery. Beloved is a message to black people that black people exist in there own world rather than a white world.
I was thinking about _Beloved_ when we were watching the early sections of the Morrison movie, and she was talking about eliminating the white male gaze from her narratives. _Beloved_ is a great example of this practice on just about every page (e.g. when we view Bodwin and his micro-hypocrisies through Baby Suggs's point of view in the scene when she first arrives in Cincinnati), with the conspicuous exception of the "Four Horsemen" chapter. As we discussed, she strategically deploys the gaze and mindset of the slaver-catcher and schoolteacher, to very dramatic effect. I view this scene as the exception that proves the rule--it reminds us how alien this point of view is in Morrison's fictional world, in addition to illustrating how monstrous the ideology is. At various points in the novel, Baby Suggs expresses baffled exasperation at what she's experienced as the boundless moral depravity of whitepeople--"They don't know when to stop," as she says. Morrison enters the perspective of these people for a brief moment in this novel, but it is far from the primary perspective.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's really significant that this book takes place in an almost completely black setting, because I think it goes against the idea that novels about black people have to be all about their roles in white-dominated society. You also bring up a good point about how the book addresses slavery--even though the book doesn't focus on portraying black people in white environments, it still shows the severe impact of racism and slavery.
ReplyDeleteI think it's really valuable that Morrison tells this story without the need of a white perspective. Because it truly is unnecessary. Her ability to accurately and powerfully portray black trauma is more valuable than just trying to appeal to white people and criticize them for their behavior so that they finally understand. Especially in this time, a novel simply about the black experience seems very valuable.
ReplyDeleteI also really liked this refreshing new take on African American literature. Experiencing this story outside of a white-focused narrative and instead having the entire plot revolve around the black characters portrays them much better and in my opinion make them much more compelling. As an extreme example, compare Beloved to Native Son. In my opinion, it is clear which one is the better novel. Beloved puts the story and narrative first, and as a result is a much more interesting read. Native Son is so concerned with the message it is trying to send that it forgoes the characters in exchange for appeal to a broader white audience who only care about the political issue.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I agree with your take and great post.
I definitely agree that there's an interesting parallel between Bigger in Native Son and Sethe in Beloved. While both characters do horrific things because of the racism that they were subjected to, and both books delve into these graphic scenes deeply and explicitly, the emotional impact and understanding that it leaves readers with is tangibly different, all because of the different writing styles.
DeleteI agree with you that it's important that this novel does not focus on the white gaze, and in fact seldom mentions white people. A lot of narratives about racism spend too much time on the view/effect of the oppressors, when that is not the point at all. There is so much going on in this novel within the black characters, and I honestly think if the white perspective was considered here, it would be an obstacle.
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