In Toni Morrison's "Beloved", the time of the story constantly bounces back and forth from "current" time to various points in the past. Though this adds a layer of confusion to reading the story, it also emphasizes how many things stayed the same for people of color after the end of the civil war.
Having known each other while enslaved, Sethe and Paul D. have a plethora of experience to apply to their relationship at 124. However, they still experience many of the same things as they did under Schoolteacher. These constant jumps back and forward in time are easily missed by the reader, at least for the first few sentences, because the times are almost impossible to differentiate. Often, I find myself only catching the change in time from the dialogue or reference to characters only present in one time period. Though their lives are undoubtedly better without the chains of slavery constantly upon them, it is ignorant to believe that liberation instantly undid centuries of wrongdoing.
After the failure of reconstruction, racism in the south grew exponentially, deep into the twentieth century. Though there were no slaves, the culture of slavery still remained throughout the south and in some northern areas. By jumping back and forth through time, Toni Morrison emphasizes the struggles of people of color after the end of the civil war.
I like how you were able to bring the bigger picture of this story to light, and I think what you say still holds true. Slavery still affects many American citizens and will not stop without the passing of time and large change.
ReplyDelete