“If I hadn’t killed her, she would have died.” (119)
It is a most horrible scene: A mother killing her own flesh and blood, out of deepest mother-love. Toni Morrison’s novel "Beloved" takes this gruesome deed as an approach to illuminate the tortuous and intricate slave mother/child relationship, a bond that in many respects reflects the atrocious nature of slavery. Hence, the essay aims at elucidating the significance and extensive meaning of maternity in Morrison’s extraordinary slave narrative.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Motherhood in slavery
- Slave Mothers' Loss of and Separation from their Children
- The Denial of Mother/Child Bonds and the Lack of Identity
- Sethe's Unlimited Mother-love
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This essay aims to elucidate the significance and extensive meaning of maternity in Toni Morrison's extraordinary slave narrative, Beloved. The essay explores the tortuous and intricate slave mother/child relationship, a bond deeply affected by the atrocious nature of slavery.
- The loss of and separation from children experienced by slave mothers
- The denial of mother/child bonds and its connection to the lack of identity for enslaved blacks
- The impact of slavery on the mother/child relationship, particularly in the context of possession and ownership
- Sethe's boundless maternal love and its complexities, encompassing both strength and vulnerability
- The blurring of individual boundaries in the mother/child relationship, particularly between Sethe and Beloved
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The essay examines the various ways in which slavery impacts the mother/child relationship in Beloved. It highlights the devastating effects of separation, the denial of maternal identity, and the constant threat of losing children due to the system of ownership.
The essay then focuses on Sethe's powerful mother-love, which is both a source of strength and a vulnerability. It explores her complicated relationship with her own mother and her intense connection to Beloved, the ghost of her deceased daughter. The essay also discusses the blurred boundaries between Sethe and Beloved, which are presented as both a manifestation of love and a potential danger.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This essay focuses on the themes of motherhood, slavery, identity, possession, and the complex relationship between mother and child. It explores these themes through the lens of Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, examining the psychological and emotional impact of slavery on enslaved mothers and their children. Key concepts include the denial of maternal identity, the blurring of individual boundaries, and the enduring power of mother-love.
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- Sabine Buchholz (Autor:in), 2005, How much love is bearable? Motherhood in slavery, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/82604
