On The Triple Identities Of Beloved In Toni Morrison's Beloved

Toni Morrison is one of the most significant contemporary African-Americanwomen writers. In 1993, the Nobel Prize for literature was awarded to her, which madeher become the first African-American to be so honored. In 1988, her fifth novel Belovedwas awarded the Pulitzer Prize, which has attracted more and more attention from bothcritics and readers since then.The scholars both abroad and at home have analyzed the theme and artistic featuresof Beloved from different perspectives with different theories. Some scholars have dealtwith the identity of the central character of the novel, Beloved. However, their analysisdoes not go deep enough. So this thesis takes a further study on Beloved's identity.This thesis consists of five parts: Introduction, Chapter One, Chapter Two, ChapterThree and Conclusion. Introduction introduces the achievements of Morrison's novels,the content of Beloved and literature review. Chapter One explores Beloved's specificbodily identity—the reincarnation of Sethe's dead daughter. This identity of Belovedimplicates the inhumanity of the slavery and the trauma of Sethe left by it. Chapter Twoexplores Beloved's broader bodily identity—the representation of any common black.This identity has three possible references. Beloved might be a survivor from the slaveship in the Middle Passage; she might be an escaping female slave from a white man'sravage; and she also might be the reincarnation of Sethe'mother. This identity of Belovedimplicates the physical and spiritual trauma of the blacks, especially that of the blackwomen. Chapter Three explores Beloved's spiritual identity—anyone in God's love. Inthe broadest sense, Beloved can be referred to anyone who is humiliated, trampled,oppressed and thus needs justice and love. This is also the reflection of Morrison's beliefin universal love. The last part is Conclusion. Beloved is a character of three identities.There are several possible ways of interpreting her identities. No matter which identity itis, it reveals the evil of the slavery and deep trauma of the blacks. Morrison believes thateveryone was born equal. If the blacks can be faced with their trauma positively, and bythe love between women and men, the mutual love in the black community and careamong different races, the blacks can walk out of the haze of the past and walk into thefuture of hope.According to Morrison, the Christian love can establish equal, harmonious andcompanionate relationships among human beings. It is love rather than hatred thateventually helps the black people walk out of the haze of the terrible past. And it is love that is the best method to solve varieties of conflicts and unjust social phenomena. In thissense, it must be of great significance for us to deal with issues of race, gender, andintercultural conflicts against the background of globalization.