Review Tony Morris' Beloved

Toni Morrison's Beloved is with an array of complexity: moral choices, slavery, hope of freedom, and the desire to be loved. Sethe, our main female character has faced several challenges in her life. During her time of escape from an ill-treating master, she finds herself without a husband, pregnant and trying to escape to find her family that were shipped off before her. In the days before her escape, she is beaten and the lifeblood of her motherhood is stripped from her as her milk is released, leaving her unable to feed her newborn child. (Morrison). This event leaves a bruise on Sethe's heart and tortures her soul, unable to escape.

Sethe ends up birthing her daughter on her way to escape, coming across a white-girl, Amy, who is kind enough to assist her. Through Amy's goodwill and knowledge of people that can help, Sethe is cared for and returned to her mother-in-law, Baby Suggs, and her older children. Her husband has disappeared, and she is left beaten, bruised, and with a newborn child.

Due to the manner in which she escaped, there is much anger from her master and he tries to locate his runaway slave. Sethe has great disdain for her life as a slave and how she has been treated, due to her traumatic experiences. She kills her newborn child, leaving her family shocked, repulsed, and herself in prison.

While killing another human is never acceptable in the eyes of God, Sethe is trying to keep her daughter from the evil throes of slavery and the torture that slavery brings. She is hoping to protect her child from the life that could follow. She is hopeful that the death of the child's soul will save her physical body ultimately from the harshness of life. This act on Sethe's part is based on her personal experiences and her hope for a better life for her children. Paul D tells Sethe, "Your love is too thick." (Morrison). There is no understanding another person's decision to act in this manner -- however the root of the issue is what Sethe was attempting to do for her child.

Works Cited

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. 1987. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. New York.