Beloved is a contemporary novel with the appeal of a ghost story, a mystery, and a work of historical fiction. It is a complex literary work that pieces together a story line of complexity with descriptions of how African-American people were treated before, during, and directly after the Civil War. This beautifully written and Pulitzer-Prize wining novel examines three generations of women -- one who was born in Africa and brought to America as a slave, her daughter-in-law who suffered so terribly as a slave she would do anything to prevent her children from being raised in slavery, and her granddaughter who, saved from slavery by her mother's outrageous action, represents hope for future generations of African-American females. Paul D, a black man, ex-slave, and escaped convict, who helps the women in the story put the past into a workable perspective, is another protagonist character whom the three women depend upon in many ways. Most importantly is the character that the novel is named after: Beloved. She is the ghost whose presence is keenly felt by all who encounter her. The novel is impressive for many reasons including the themes portrayed, the style and structure used, and various use of symbols. The novel opens with an introduction to a house: "124 was spiteful. Full of a baby's venom." The house belongs to Sethe, an ex-slave who had run away from the place of her enslavement, "Sweet Home," 18 years ago. One of the primary themes of Beloved is the issue of race and effects of slavery. Much of the novel focuses on a community of ex-slaves...
The novel questions, through the eyes of schoolteacher, what the difference is between a man and an animal. In its vivid portrayal of the Negro community, complete with their desires and troubles, the novel shows that a colored man is like any other man. The novel also addresses the concern of whether it is better to endure the injustices of an unfeeling people or to fight against them.
The narrative becomes key eyewitness testimony in the suffering of others. Memories of a more personal nature, such as of Offred's ex-husband and child, also permeate the present and affect identity construction. Although neither Morrison nor Atwood create novels of nostalgia, memory and nostalgia do go hand-in-hand. "Nostalgia," notes Greene, "is a powerful impulse that is by no means gender specific," (295). Nostalgia provides the emotionally uplifting links between past
Sethe knew about this future and even as a free woman, she could not escape the anguish associated by belonging to someone else because much of the damage had already been done. Sethe was attempting to overcome the damaging effects of slavery while attempting to adjust as a free woman, even though it was like she was not actually free. Coping with the weight of slavery meant eliminating some
There many instances in the book to remind the reader of the non-human ways those slaves were treated. There is a passage in which a slave does not have any name other than the name that was written on the bill of sale when she was purchased. When finally asked what she calls herself her answer is chilling: "Nothing.... I don't call myself nothing" (142) (Malmgren, 1995). The book belies the
Modernism, and how the literature that is considered to be Modernist literature is representative of the period. Then explain how contemporary world literature comes from Modernism Discuss three Modernists and their work. Then discuss two contemporary authors. Explain how they represent NOW (or the contemporary world which is from 1968 on.) Then discuss the differences between Modernism and contemporary literature. James Joyce, Franz Kafka, and DH Lawrence are three examples of three different
Ronald Reagan with his positive and authentic leadership led America to victory in what was known as "The Cold War." Emulation of this type of leader means that one possesses the ability to see the issues across-the-board and with a strong focus on positive attributes or the organization or administration and in the case of Ronald Reagan, upon the strength of the American people one has the characteristics necessary
Existentialist Perspective in the Novel American Pastoral The novel "The American Pastoral" by Philip Roth represents an important literary work that basis its construction on elements of literary existentialism through the way in which characters and their universe are created. The novel is relevant for the literary world through the way in which it describes track of the human life, evolution, and eventually of its demise. The author underlines the idea
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