Toni Morrison's Beloved contains many accurate and in depth portrayals of slavery and its effects on its victims. It is hailed in its depiction of slavery and its dehumanizing effects on slaves. The book has gruesome and vivid depictions of those effects, notably in Sethe and Paul D's troubles with communicating their experiences and coming to terms with what they experienced,
However, Beloved provides a glimpse into another aspect of post-slavery life for African American's that other sources rarely take into account: coming to terms with their newfound independence. Baby Suggs, possibly more so than the other characters, demonstrates this revolutionary period in every recently freed slaves life.
She begins her life as a free woman with an air of uncertainty. She asks herself why she needs freedom after losing so much and living so long as a slave, but she begins to understand its importance. She starts to notice her hands, they're her own. Her heart beats, signifying her very own life. Baby Suggs goes from skeptical to entranced with her newfound freedom in the matter of a short wagon ride.
What she does with that entrancement furthers the importance of this essential experience. Baby Suggs strives to assert her independence in any way she can, starting with disavowing her slave name, a name she had never before heard herself called (Jenny Whitlow) in favor of the name Baby Suggs she had adhered to herself from her husband. What's more, she preaches self-love and independence to her "congregation" to further assert that newfound experience.
Beloved displays an aspect of life as a freed slave little acknowledge and rarely seen through its telling of the characters first experiences with freedom. It presents a powerful and beautifully worded description of just how important those experiences are, and how intrinsic they are to the human condition.
This is really good! I like your example of Baby Suggs because Morrison really spends a lot of time explaining her transition into freedom. I specifically like how you pointed out how Baby Suggs adhered to a new name because this is a good example of Morrison connecting to history as many freed slaves did the same in the past.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the importance that Morrison places on the struggles after freedom and how gaining a sense of identity can be so difficult. These people have come from a situation where they have very little to no control over who they are and what they do. Morrison's book gives us painfully accurate depictions of the pain that former slaves have to go through in order to truly understand who they are.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the depth in which Morrison goes into the newfound and untreated freedom of the characters, especially that of Baby Suggs,is vital not only for character development but also the audience's grasp on these periods. I'd argue that these moments are some of the most influential parts of the novel, as they speak to learning about oneself in a manner that incorporates history as well as reflection.
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