Beloved by Toni Morrison - Essay Example

Beloved-Structure Analysis The experimental structure of the book is something that only very few readers will come to miss about the book. The story is a portrayal of different levels of the past, with its commencement from the slave ship to sweet home, in addition to incorporating the present. In some instances the past is narrated with the use of flashbacks , use of stories, or on some instances it is narrated plainly, giving the impression that events are taking place in the present. The story of the novel is generally told in fragments, and pieces that have been shattered. It is then left up to them to put the pieces together. The use of the juxtaposition approach of the present and past fulfill that purpose of reinforcing the idea that the past continues to exist in the present. The fact that Morrison is putting the story in fragments, puts the story into one piece that is inseparable . He forces his reader to put the pieces back together. He puts them in a position where they are forced to think of the pieces. The readers are also further forced to think and consider the worth of each piece. When it comes to the style that has been used in the novel, Morrison’s artistry is considered to be nothing but breathe taking. Beloved is a novel that is very complex, and the plot is mainly told by use of flashbacks, which incorporates stories that retold in different perspectives. The novel has a loose structure that was intentionally assigned to it. The plot does not flow in a straight line. The plot meanders, with several flashbacks though forty year since the time when Sethe was born in the year 1835, till when the novel comes to an end in 1875. The plot of the novel revolves around 1873. With the arrival of Paul D in 124 Bluestone , a number of flashbacks come into play. The reason for this is the fact that Paul D and Sethe constantly tend to dwell on a number of issues about their lives. Although the setting of the novel is in 124 Bluestone, the flash backs take the reader to a number of locations, with the inclusion of Kentucky, where Hale, Sethe and Paul D were slaves on a plantation that was known as sweet home plantation. The story goes as far as to the Ohio river, which serves as a line of demarcation between states of slaves, the free states in addition to the place that Denver was born. The flash backs go as far as Delaware, where a weaver woman lived with Paul D for a number of years. Back to the clearing, where the preaching of Baby Suggs was done to the black people, to encourage them to develop a love for themselves, and finally to the lands that were outside sweet home, which is where Paul D and Sixo were captured, and sadly where Sixo met his end and was burnt. The flashbacks are mainly a means of storytelling, which is also a means for the slaves to be able to cope with some of their repressed memories of the past. As the characters remember their stories, it gives the novel a different twist. At the end of the novel, all the pieces fit together. The structure of the novel is a compound of ever-changing perspectives. All the characters, with the inclusion of the dead ones and those that are half alive, have a section of the story in which they tell. At one instance, Paul D and Sethe share flashbacks that are eventually combined into one, (chapter two). There is also an instance in which the point of view transitions gently between four of the characters who are white. Their conversation is a revelation of how some people may view slaves as nothing other than tamed animals. The variance in the various perspectives creates a tapestry of interesting individuals, who are linked with the present and the past, into forming a community. Another perfect example is the instance in which Paul D and Sethe give their narration of the experience of the corn field. Another instance is made the four men on horses when to Sethe. The use of this mechanism dares to challenge the idea of the singularity, which presents history in an objective manner. Perhaps the reason why Morrison opts to tell the a story of history that had gone for many years untold, is because of the fact that history is controlled by the victors, which in this case refers to the individuals that have the social power over literature that is written and distributed. As the characters remember their stories, it gives the novel a different twist. At the end of the novel, all the pieces fit together. Despite the fact that Morrison does not make her writing complicated, she introduces sufficient variations in her wording, which eliminates the sense of repetition in her words, even though in some instances she discusses the same thing in a whole page. For instance, she makes reference to Paul D’s hands as “shacking”, “trembling” “ripping”. By taking this structure, she maintains a very high interest of the reader. This also enables her readers to be able to get a clear picture of the points that she is focused on putting across. Because of the roundabout manner that she uses in her work, the story becomes very well known in the field of literature. The core structure of the novel has been hinted from the beginning. The viewpoint of the novel changes constantly. There are some narrations that are told by Sethe, as other character such as beloved, Denver, and Paul D also take part in the process of storytelling. There is an aspect of the structure that links Morrison, other characters and the conflicts that they have all been exposed to is the perspective. As there are aspects of the narration are definite in the entire narrative, the variation comes about when she opts to shift the perspective from which the story is told. The perspective is different as one progresses from one chapter to another. As the focus of the narrator is on themselves, the point of view in chapter one changes from Baby Bugs. Slowly moves to Sethe then Denver and eventually on Paul D. The varying perspectives between the various characters enables her to express the thoughts and feeling of various characters. This has an additional bonus as it makes the readers aware of how slavery impacted the said people on the discussion, which refers to the community at large. This points a clear picture of the collision that the slavery caused to humanity at large. A good example is how Sethe reminds Denver of how the memories of the past can have a very powerful impact on the lives presently, even if the memories are not theirs. Although the said extract was narrated in third person, the narrator perceives that Denver is recalling the words as were said by Sethe. As the characters remember their stories, it gives the novel a different twist. At the end of the novel, all the pieces fit together. This is a clear demonstration of the conflict that exists between the present and the past, as it affects even those characters that did not experience it. An additional bonus point that the varying perspective adds to the story is the fact that the readers are able to understand what makes various individuals tick. This is a concept that has been cemented by the alteration in narratives. The shifts vary from Denver, Sethe and Beloved, for instance, as they think of how the their lives have changed since the arrival of Beloved. The interpretation of the intimacy of these characters enhances the understanding of the reader and the conflicts that they are going through Many readers may have found the non-linear structure difficult to digest. The circular structure of the story allows the reader to be closer and closer to history and to be able to get more information. In a number of instances, Morrison makes use of stream of consciousness writing. The use of strict narratives in her perspective is not sufficient to immortalize the emotions of the characters, and eventually manages to portray these feelings in one of the most notable passages known to modern literature. The novel radically varies in terms of points of view, place, character and time lines but it has a unified theme with revolves around the necessity of dealing with a traumatic past that was caused by slavery. The characters have to venture into their past so that they can heal their present. The novel ends of somewhat a happy note since both Sethe and Denver have managed to make milestones in terms of their recovery.. This structure enables Morrison to give a glimpse of the future, and then it slowly gets out of focus. The unorthodox structure adapted by the book reveals an essential oral tradition in the lives of African-Americans. Instead of adapting liner, Eurocentric and rational narratives, Morrison makes use of an Afrocentric style of storytelling. The analysis of the novel is not a matter of bad or good writing. For decades, this is a novel that has spurred analysts into dialogs on gender differences and race and other issues that are regarded as thorny, that still haunt humanity, the same way that the ghost of Beloved haunt the Morrison’s novel. This novel has the potential to dominate present day American fiction. Works Cited Morrison, Toni. Beloved: a novel. New York: Knopf :, 1987. Read More