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... Toni Morrison’s Beloved depicts the lives of former slaves who are trying to live within the restraints of a traumatizing past. It is Morrison’s use of parallel characters which emphasizes the degree to which slavery penetrated the human soul. Sethe and Paul D shared the traumatizing experience of slavery at Sweet Home, and were brought back to the emotions they felt there through the presence of Beloved. No matter how these characters attempted to block emotions of the past, slavery proved to be a more powerful force, destroying their identities. ... Slavery is a force which continued to haunt both characters, physically as both are caught after escaping, and emotionally as their identity is torn from them. ... This trauma resurfaced, however, with the actions and presence of Beloved, bringing both characters to their knees. ... Beloved became the force which opened the tin box, releasing the emotions of Sweet Home. ... He loses complete control over himself as Beloved approaches him and commands him to say her name and touch her, on the inside part. ... Beloved tap into the deepest part of Paul D’s soul, unleashing the pain and suffering of his past. ... ” Beloved’s arrival and connection to Sethe unleashed the emotions which she had held back. ... Sethe became a slave to Beloved, constantly trying to make up for the pain she caused her daughter, being alone on the other side. ... Beloved broke Paul D and Sethe, exposing the soul, tarnished by Sweet Home. These characters parallel in the strength they exhibited, refusing to allow the past to control their lives. ... Toni Morrison’s Beloved illustrates how being in bondage can destroy a person emotionally. ... Though the two characters vary in how they view the past, both are broken down by their experience at Sweet Home, emphasizing the force with which slavery penetrated their souls. By paralleling these characters, Morrison makes it clear that no one who experienced the true life of a slave on a plantation could escape trauma it bestowed.
Approximate Word count = 1531
Approximate Pages = 6.1
(250 words per page double spaced)
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