Alienation within Beloved Essay - 1209 Words

Alienation within â€Å"Beloved† â€Å"Cultural trauma refers to a dramatic loss of identity and meaning, a tear in the social fabric, affecting a group of people that has achieved some degree of cohesion† (Day 2). This quote by Ron Eyerman in â€Å"Cultural Trauma† references a large theme within the novel â€Å"Beloved†; Alienation of the self with its own identity. As the cultural trauma of slavery took its toll on the populations of each and every state where it persisted, it culminated in the same outcome in every instance. Put quite simply, the institution of slavery forms concrete and seemingly immovable walls between slave and master. Within this practice, members of these societies became locked into their respective roles. Erikson defines†¦show more content†¦The definers took it upon themselves to destroy all that is human within those that they controlled. Sethe, has only one motivation in life by the the time schoolteacher arrives at Sweet Home, her motherhood. And through the â€Å"theft† of her breast milk, her humanity is depleted. Her milk, is the only thing that still belongs to her, she has been stripped of all else. Her masters have defined her as a beast. They rip away her worth as a woman and as a mother and label her as an animal. Schoolteacher himself leads the â€Å"education† effort where he classifies his slaves animal characteristics. Even Mr. Garner, who seems a much more gentle man than his predecessor, still fulfills the role of the definer. As he proudly proclaims that he treats his slaves like â€Å"men† he still accepts that it is within his rights to label them as he pleases. They are men because he gives that to them, thus challenging if their manhood is anything more than a title. This causes the slaves to look to their master in order to understand themselves the way their master sees them. This act of looking upwards for identity only further increases the slaves alienation, for instead of creating commu nity and identifying within each other, the slaves look to their master for how to define themselves. The relationship of slave to master becomes the only one that the slave knows or understands. Sethe had been deprived of any sort of familialShow MoreRelated Existentialism, Beloved, and The Bluest Eye Essay3346 Words   |  14 PagesExistentialism, Beloved, and The Bluest Eye  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Toni Morrison has written several novels, many of which show the influence of existentialist thinking; however, Beloved and The Bluest Eye both strongly illustrate all of the major existential themes. Beloved is a novel about a woman, Sethe, who escapes from slavery with her children. 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