Study On The Implication Of Beloved In Beloved From The Perspective Of Identity Construction

Beloved is a literary work about black slaves and one of the masterpieces of American black female writer Toni Morrison.This thesis studies the implications of Beloved in Beloved from the perspective of identity construction under the guidance of social identity theory developed by Henri Tajfel and John Turner.The implications of Beloved in the identity construction of Sethe and Denver are studied mainly from three aspects.First of all,the thesis discusses the traumatic memories of Sethe and the alienation of Denver,which are represented by Beloved.Secondly,it analyzes the function of Beloved in the redemption of Sethe's motherhood and Denver's sisterhood.Finally,the role of Beloved in the process of Sethe and Denver's identity construction is discussed from three aspects of social categorization,social comparison and positive distinctiveness.It can be found that the implications of Beloved are embodied in three aspects concretely.First of all,Beloved represents the traumatic memory of Sethe and causes the alienation of Denver,which hinder their conversion to Cincinnati community.Secondly,the motherhood of Sethe and sisterhood of Denver are redeemed through the companionship of Beloved.Finally,Beloved plays a double role as an impediment and boost in the identity construction of Sethe and Denver.On the one hand,the social categorization of Sethe and Denver are influenced by Beloved and they fail to construct a positive identity.On the other hand,Sethe's role as a mother and Denver's role as a sister are regained through the companionship of Beloved,which lay the foundation of their identity construction.