Scriptie Faye Kegley.doc

8/14/2019 Scriptie Faye Kegley.doc

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/scriptie-faye-kegleydoc 1/26

Remembering Slavery through Toni Morrison’s

Beloved.



Remembering Slavery through Toni Morrison’s Beloved.

Content

1 Introduction page 3

2 oss page !

2.1 oss by "light page #

2.2 oss by Sale page $

3 "emale Bodies page 11

3.1 Se%ual &buse page 11

3.2 Bodies as 'ommodities page 13

( Motherhood page 1!

(.1 )ractical &spects page 1!

(.2 Sacri*ice page 1#

+ "light page 22

+.1 ,bstacles page 22

! 'onclusion page 2+

-otes page 2!

2




Introduction

Si%ty Million and more/0 is the inscription at the beginning o* the novel Beloved / ritten by

Toni Morrison.1 Morrison devoted Beloved to the roughly si%ty million people ho died

during the slave trade and ho never e%perienced slavery.2 These victims never e%perienced

the long disturbing and psychologically pain*ul period that &*ricans and generations therea*ter

had to endure. &lthough the boo is dedicated to those ho died in the &tlantic trade/

hoever/ its story serves to memorialie the institution o* slavery itsel* as it e%isted in the

4nited States. Morrison says that5

there is a necessity *or remembering the horror/ but o* course there’s a necessity *or

remembering it in a manner in hich it can be digested/ in a manner in hich the memory is

not destructive. The act o* riting the boo/ in a ay/ is a ay o* con*ronting it and maing it

possible to remember.0 3

In other ords/ Morrison argues that overcoming the trauma o* slavery entails remembering

rather than *orgetting. In contemporary &merican culture the institution o* slavery has been

largely *orgotten. But Morrison tries to sho that the past never ends.( She ants the readers

to re6vision and understand &*rican6&merican history through non6estern eyes by re6tellinghistory through the lives o* *ormer &*rican slaves.0+

Beloved

Beloved taes place in 17#3/ in a house in 'incinnati/ ,hio. Sethe/ a *ormer slave/ and her

daughter 8enver are the only omen living in the house/ besides the ghost that haunts them.!

It has been many years since Sethe escaped *rom the *arm 9Seet :ome’ in ;entucy/ here

she had lived as a slave. <hile pregnant/ Sethe had made plans to run aay *rom the *arm

ith her husband :alle/ ith the intention o* *leeing across the ,hio River to :alle’s mother/

Baby Suggs/ in 'incinnati. Their three children ere already living ith Baby Suggs.

:oever/ on the day o* the escape/ :alle as nohere to be *ound and Sethe as *orced to

1Toni Morrison/ Beloved =-e >or5 ?veryman’s ibrary/ 2@@!A/ 3.2 :eera 'hristian ;im/ Toni Morrison’s Beloved as African-American Scripture & Other Articles on History

and Canon =-e ersey5 :ermit ;ingdom )ress/ 2@@!A/ 3+.3 8anille Taylor6Cuthrie/ ed./ Conversations with Toni Morrison =acson5 4niversity )ress o* Mississippi/

1$$(A/ 2(7.4 ;ader &i. t’s !ot Over - "ememories of a Hauntin# $ast in Toni Morrison%s Beloved' ( MDnchen5 CRI-

Eerlag/ 2@@3A/ 1.5 Ibid./ 1.6 Morrison/ Beloved / $.

3




*lee alone. ,n her ay to ,hio she delivered a baby girl/ named 8enver/ but otherise arrived

sa*ely at Baby Suggs’ house. "or Sethe/ living in *reedom ith her mother6in6la and her *our

children lasted only *or a short period o* time/ as her master ruthlessly hunted her don in an

attempt to reclaim his property. <hen he *inally *ound her/ Sethe attempted to ill her

children to avoid enslavement *or them/ but she only managed to ill one daughter5 the ghost

that no haunts the house here Sethe and 8enver live in 17#3.#

ittle by little e learn about Sethe’s past through her conversations ith )aul 8./ one

o* the other slaves *rom 9Seet :ome’ ho visits Sethe to reminisce about old times. It

becomes clear that Sethe’s decision to ill her children rather than allo them to be slaves is

in*luenced by the traumas she endured at Seet :ome/ including rape at the hands o* the

overseer/ called Schoolteacher0 by the slaves. It also becomes clear that Sethe and 8enver

are the only ones le*t in the house/ because Baby Suggs has died and soon a*ter :oard and

Buglar/ Sethe’s to sons/ have long *led the house. ater on/ it turns out that her boys

vanished because they ere a*raid Sethe ould ill one o* her children again. 7 ?ven though

Sethe illed her daughter a long time ago/ she is still troubled by her spirit. ?ventually the

ghost o* her daughter comes bac as a real person/ a girl named Beloved/ ho comes to live

ith Sethe and 8enver. <hen it becomes clear that Beloved is obsessed ith Sethe and that

she tries to destroy her because o* hat Sethe did to her/ 8enver and the people *rom their

community rally to help Sethe puri*y the house by driving Beloved out o* it/ hich ors/

giving resolution to the story.$

Mar#aret )arner

The boo Beloved came about a*ter Toni Morrison read about Margaret Carner’s story. I

anted to understand about that period o* slavery and about omen loving things that are

important to them.01@ The story too place in 17+1/ hen Margaret Carner succeeded in

escaping *rom the slave state ;entucy to the *ree state o* ,hio/ ith her husband/ mother6in6

la and her children.11 :oever/ they ere eventually discovered as runaays/ so she tried to

ill her children/ but only managed to ill one. Margaret Carner said5 I ill not let those

children live ho I have lived.012 She did not ant her children to e%perience slavery/ the ay

she had to endure it. She *igured that death as better than living through slavery. The

7 Morrison/ Beloved / vii.8 Ibid./ $.9 :arold Bloom * Toni Morrison’s Beloved =-e >or5 In*obase )ublishing/ 2@@$A/ [email protected]

Taylor6Cuthrie/ Conversations* 23+.11 Ibid./ 2@!.12 Taylor6Cuthrie/ Conversations* 2@#.

4




mother6in6la/ ho as there hen Margaret Carner tried to ill her children/ said5 I

atched her and neither encouraged her nor discouraged her.013 Morrison’s response to this

as5

& oman loved something other than hersel* so much. She had placed all o* the value o* her

li*e in something outside hersel*. That the oman ho illed her children loved her children

so muchF they ere the best part o* her and she ould not see them sullied. She ould not see

them hurt. She ould rather ill them/ have them die.01(

Morrison thought that this boo as going to be less appealing to people than all her other

boos/ since it concerns things that characters don’t ant to remember/ I don’t ant to

remember/ blac people don’t ant to remember/ hite people don’t ant to remember. It’s

national amnesia.01+ But in riting Beloved / Morrison did try to mae people remember

slavery. She tried to do this by describing its horrors and legacy in detail. Morrison is very

clear about every incident/ especially the speci*ic traumas that blac omen and mothers

ere *orced to endure at the hands o* slaveholders.

Thesis statement

This essay ill attempt to e%plore the e%periences o* *emale slaves by analying the novel

Beloved and comparing it to historical accounts such as *emale slave narratives. To hat

e%tent does the reconstruction o* *emale slave e%periences in the *ictional account o* Beloved

concur ith hat historians no about *emale slavesG lives in the antebellum periodH In

order to anser this uestion/ this thesis ill e%amine *our general themes ith hich *emale

slaves ere con*ronted5 loss/ bodies/ motherhood and *light.

13

Ibid./ 2@#14 Ibid./ 2@#.15 Ibid./ 2+#.

5




2. Loss

oss as a common thing *or omen/ and slaves in general/ during slavery. &ccording to

slavery historian )eter ;olchin/ coercive detachment o* *amilies as the most terrible

intrusion in the lives o* slaves.1! 8etachment o* *amilies as common in the South.

Cood intentions alone proved insu**icient to protect slaves against the dictates o* economic

interest/ anger/ or plain thoughtlessnessF there ere simply too many instances hen it made

sense or as necessary *or masters ith the best o* intentions to separate their slaves. Most

slave oners may have dislied the idea o* separating their people J and some re*used to do so

under normal circumstances J but hen push came to shove/ *e put their slaves’ happiness

above their on sel*6interest.01#

Mostly through sale ere slaves separated *rom each other. 17 &ccording to historian Michael

Tadman/ in the upper South about one *irst marriage in three as broen by *orced

separation and close to hal* o* all children ere separated *rom at least one parent.01$

Sethe also encountered many losses in her li*e/ mostly *rom *amily members5 Baby

Suggs/ ho as very sic and died/ Sethe’s to sons/ :oard and Buglar/ because they ran

aay *rom home/ Sethe’s husband :alle/ her on mother and her babygirl Beloved. Though/

Sethe’s loss is di**erent *rom hat ;olchin and Tadman are relating to. They are taling about

sale and *orced separation during slavery. <hat Sethe e%periences is death and estrangement

during *reedom. This is also one o* the main di**erences beteen slave narratives and the

novel Beloved discussed in this chapter.

In this chapter/ three di**erent themes related to loss ill be taen into account/

namely5 loss by death/ loss by *light and loss by sale.

+oss ,y death

Separation beteen parents and children is a theme that resonates in the novel Beloved . Sethe

*irst e%perienced the death o* her on mother. :er mother as hanged by her master hen

Sethe as still very young/ so she never really e%perienced the love *rom her mother. 2@ This is

the reason hy the love *or her on children as so thic.021 Since Sethe escaped *rom

slavery she could love her children immensely/ nobody oned them anymore. But then she

16 )eter ;olchin/ American Slavery ./.0-.122 =-e >or5 :ill and <ang/ 2@@3A/ 12+.17 Ibid./ 12+.18 Ibid./ 12+.19

Ibid./ 12!.20 &i * t’s !ot Over* 2.

21 Morrison/ Beloved / %iv.

6




*inds out that her old master tries to mae her return to slavery/ so she ills her daughter. The

death o* her babygirl/ is Sethe’s main loss. &ccording to Sethe she had no choice/ she illed

her because she did not ant to see her daughter taen bac into slavery and lead a slave li*e

lie she had.22

Baby Suggs also encountered many losses. She lost all o* her children/ besides :alle.

Sad as it as that she did not no here her children ere buried or hat they looed lie

i* alive.023 :er children ere taen aay *rom her hen they ere still at a young age/ so she

could not really remember them anymore.

The last o* her children/ hom she barely glanced at hen he as born because it

asn’t orth the trouble to try to learn *eatures you ould never see change into

adulthood anyay. Seven times she had done that5 held a little *ootF ould never sa

become the male or *emale hands a mother ould recognie anyhere. She didn’t

no to this day hat their permanent teeth looed lieF or ho they held their heads

hen they aled.02(

)ro*essor ?liabeth &nn Beaulieu said that5 ?nslaved omen/ hen they ere alloed to

eep their children in close pro%imity/ *aced the problem o* providing proper child care and

*orming maternal bonds ith them because the system made no suitable provision *or

either.02+ So due to the institution o* slavery/ Baby Suggs did not ant to mae an e**ort in

looing at her babies’ characteristics.

+oss ,y fli#ht

oss due to estrangement and *light is another theme that Morrison alludes to in Beloved . "or

e%ample/ Sethe’s children :oard and Buglar ran aay *rom home/ and she never sa them

again a*ter that. This loss as not due to *orced separation/ but because o* *ree ill. Sethe

thought it as probably because o* the baby ghost in the house/2! but 8enver ne it had

something to do ith her mother being a murderer.2# 8enver had no siblings anymore/ e%cept

*or her baby sister/ ho as a ghost. But then also she as gone. 8enver had been *urious and

deeply agitated ith )aul 8 hen he scared aay the baby ghost. The baby ghost as the

only thing that ept 8enver company/ besides her mother/ and no it as gone. -o her

22 &i/ t’s !ot Over / 2.23Morrison/ Beloved / 1!3.24 Ibid./ 1!1.

25

?liabeth &. Beaulieu ed./ The Toni Morrison 3ncyclopedia =<estport/ 'T5 Creenood )ress/ 2@@3A/ [email protected] Morrison/ Beloved / 121.27 Ibid./ 123.

7




mother as upstairs ith the man ho had gotten rid o* the only other company she had.027

:oever/ the baby ghost came bac/ this time trans*ormed into a real human being/ a girl

named Beloved. 8enver got obsessed ith this girl/ hom she ne as her sister.

To go bac to the original hunger as impossible. ucily *or 8enver/ looing as *ood

enough to last. But to be looed at in turn as beyond appetiteF it as breaing through her

on sin to a place here hunger hadn’t been discovered. It didn’t have to happen o*ten

because Beloved seldom looed right at her/ or hen she did/ 8enver could tell that her on

*ace as Kust the place those eyes stopped hile the mind behind it aled on. But sometimes

at moments 8enver could neither anticipate nor create J Beloved rested chee on nucles and

looed at 8enver ith attention.02$

"urthermore/ Sethe also lost her husband. She lost him hile they ere at Seet

:ome. She thought he as dead/ that he as caught hile trying to escape ith her. :e

asn’t there. :e asn’t here he said he ould be.03@ So Sethe escaped alone to the *ree

-orth. <hat Sethe did not no/ and later *ound out through )aul 8./ as that :alle as so

a**ected by the rape o* his i*e. :e could not handle it.

The loss o* a partner is a prevalent theme in *emale slave literature/ such as in :arriet

acobs’ account o* her li*e in bondage. :arriet acobs/ ho rote ncidents in the +ife of a

Slave )irl / also lost the man she loved. :e as not her partner/ *or her master did not allo

her to marry the *ree negro man/ but they anted to.31 acobs made the decision to let her

lover go/ since she/ and their children ould be *orever oned by her master/ hich ould

cause misery to him.32 So acobs put her on dreams aside to save the one she loved.

&t the end o* the novel Beloved* Sethe encounters yet again the loss o* her daughter

Beloved. The girl only had eyes *or Sethe. She needed the attention o* Sethe/ because she *elt

lonely and abandoned. :oever/ hen 8enver *ound out that Beloved suced the li*e out o*

her mother/ she looed *or help to get rid o* her. &nd it ored/ the hole community came

to assist her in getting Beloved to move out o* the house. This loss as *or the *irst time good

*or both Sethe and 8enver. They both dealt ith their problems. Beloved stood *or the

problem o* slavery and all the negative conseuences that came along ith it. Mostly Sethe

remembered ho slavery as *or her ith the appearance o* the girl/ and by getting rid o*

28 Morrison/ Beloved / 27.29 Ibid./ 137.30 Ibid./ 72.31

ydia Maria 'hild/ ed./ ncidents in the +ife of a Slave )irl4 5ritten By Herself =Boston5 )ublished *or the&uthor/ 17!1A/ +7.32 Ibid./ !+.

8




Beloved/ she as getting rid o* the problem. In other ords5 Sethe ould never *orget hat

happened in the past/ and she ould remember it *orever/ hoever she as on the path o*

overcoming the trauma o* slavery.

+oss ,y sale

& prevalent theme in *emale slave narratives/ is the loss o* a dear one by sale or *orced

detachment. &n e%ample o* this can be seen in ?liabeth ;ecley’s slave narrative Behind the

Scenes6 or* Thirty 7ears a Slave and 8our 7ears in the 5hite House. ;ecley rites about the

sale o* a boy/ hich she can recall clearly. 33

LThe mother pleaded piteously that her boy should not be taen *rom herF but master uieted

her by telling her that he as simply going to ton ith the agon/ and ould be bac in the

morning. Morning came/ but little oe did not return to his mother. Morning a*ter morning

passed/ and the mother ent don to the grave ithout ever seeing her child again. ,ne day

she as hipped *or grieving *or her lost boy. 'olonel Burell never lied to see one o* his

slaves ear a sorro*ul *ace/ and those ho o**ended in this particular ay ere alays

punished.03(

&nother e%ample o* loss by *orced separation is in 9ncle Tom’s Ca,in*:olume ;. This

novel/ ritten by the abolitionist :arriet Beecher Stoe/ is *iction/ compared to ;ecley’s

non6*iction slave narrative. :oever/ Stoe’s novel is based on the history o* slavery/ and

*act is that in history boos/ Kust lie slave narratives/ the main theme is based on loss by sale.

In 9ncle Tom’s Ca,in* there is a story about 'assy/ a slave oman ho also lost her children.

'assy/ ho as not only in love ith :enry/ a hite man/ she also had to children ith

him. :oever/ hen :enry needed money/ he e%changed 'assy and their children *or

money.3+ 'assy’s cruel ne master told her that her children ere being purchased by

someone else and LN hether I ever sa their *aces again/ depended on himF and that/ i* I

asn’t uiet/ they should smart *or it. <ell/ you can do anything ith a oman/ hen you’ve

got her children. :e made me submitF he made me be peaceable LN.0 3!

<hat is remarable in the history o* slavery/ is that the 9loss by sale’ a main theme is.

>ou can see this thread running through history boos/ such as the ones *rom ;olchin and

33 enni*er "leischner/ Masterin# Slavery Memory* 8amily* and dentity in 5omen’s Slave !arratives =-e

>or5 -e >or 4niversity )ress/ 1$$!A/ 1@#.34 Ibid./ [email protected]

:arriet Beecher Stoe/ 9ncle Tom’s Ca,in Or* +ife Amon# the +owly4 :olume Two =Boston5 ohn ). eettO 'ompany/ 17+2A/ 2@!.36 Stoe/ 9ncle Tom’s Ca,in / 2@7.

9




Tadman/ but also in *emale slave narratives/ lie ;ecley’s. Beloved distinguishes itsel* *rom

such boos. Morrison symbolies loss in a di**erent ay. She *ocuses more on the sacri*ice a

*emale slave has to mae to live in *reedom and hat the e**ects o* the slave e%perience do to

them.

10




3. Female odies

Slave omen ere easily harmed by their nearby interaction ith their master. They ere

unprotected to the physical and se%ual abuse.3# ?specially on large properties/ intercourse

beteen hite men and blac omen as a customary procedure. The overseers/ masters and

sons made good use o* blac omen *or nonchalant/ impassive se%/ something they could not

get *rom hite omen.37

In this chapter/ to themes related to *emale bodies are being discussed5 se%ual abuse

o* omen slaves/ and omen bodies that are being used as commodities.

<4. Se=ual A,use

Be*ore Sethe *led to the *ree state o* ,hio/ she lived on a plantation in ;entucy/ ith her

husband :alle and some other men. Their oner/ Mr. Carner/ as pretty 9good’ to them. "or

instance/ Mr. Carner let :alle buy his mother out o* slavery/ a*ter he ored *or some years

on his only *ree day5 his sundays.3$ :oever/ a*ter Mr. Carner died/ a *amily member o* Mrs.

Carner too over the plantation. :is name as Schoolteacher/ and operated the plantation and

the slaves di**erently *rom Mr. Carner. It became a very unendurable situation *or the slaves.

They *elt dehumanied by him/ so Sethe and :alle made plans to *led the plantation in order

to be *ree. Be*ore their escape/ :alle and Sethe ere secretly to meet at the barn/ hoever/ the

nephes o* Schoolteacher *olloed Sethe and se%ually abused her. They stole the mil o* the

pregnant Sethe/ and hipped her on the bac.(@ This is ho Sethe described it5

LN they held me don and too it. Mil that belonged to my baby. -an had to nurse

hitebabies and me too because Ma’am as in the rice. The little hitebabies got it *irst

and I got hat as le*t. ,r none. There as no nursing mil to call my on. I no hat it

as lie to be ithout mil that belongs to you LN.0(1

The stealing o* Sethe’s mil and the abuse that came along ith it/ as a very traumatic event

*or Sethe/ especially since her on mother as not able to breast*ed her. Because o* this/

Sethe *elt very *ortunate that she could breast*ed her on children/ but then they too her mil

aay.(2 Sethe as not the only one in Beloved ho endured se%ual abuse. ?lla/ ho helped

37 ;olchin/ American Slavery/ 123.38 Ibid./ 12+.39 Morrison/ Beloved* 3!.40 &ngelyn Mitchell/ The 8reedom to "emem,er !arrative* Slavery* and )ender in Contemporary Blac>

5omen’s 8iction =-e ersey5 Rutgers 4niversity )ress/ 2@@2A/ $2.41 Morrison/ Beloved / 231.42 Mitchell/ The 8reedom to "emem,er * $(.

11




Sethe hen she crossed the ,hio River/ during her escape/ lived in a house here she as

shared by *ather and son/ hom she called 9the loest yet’ ho gave her disgust *or se% and

against hom she measured all atrocities.0(3

Sethe’s mother as also se%ually abused/ hoever this as on a ship during the

Middle )assage. She as raped by the personnel on the ship Kust *or their on pleasure/ and

by the merchants/ ho *igured they could bene*it again *rom the children she ould bore.

:oever/ she thre them all aay.. The one *rom the cre she thre aay on the island.

The others *rom more hites she also thre aay. <ithout names/ she thre them.0 ((

The theme o* se%ual abuse resonates in *emale slave literature/ as slave omen ere

o*ten vieed and treated as se%ual obKects by hite masters and their *amily members. In

ncidents in the +ife of a Slave )irl =*rom no on stated as ncidentsA * :arriet acobs also

endured se%ual abuse *rom her hite master/ 8r. "lint. &ccording to &merican social

historian/ acueline ones/ se%ual maturity mared a crucial turning point in most young

slave omen’s lives.0(+ This moment occurred to acobs hen she as *i*teen years old.

My master began to hisper *oul ords in my ear. >oung as I as/ I could not

remain ignorant o* their import. I tried to treat them ith indi**erence o* contempt. The

master’s age/ my e%treme youth/ and the *ear that his conduct ould be reported to my

grandmother/ made him bear this treatment *or many months. :e tried his utmost to corrupt PP

the pure principles my grandmother had instilled. :e peopled my young mind ith unclean

images/ such as only a vile monster could thin o*. I turned aay *rom him ith disgust and

hatred. But he as my master.0(!

Thus/ abuse o* omen slaves as not uncommon. ,nly a small number o* parents

could eep their daughters *rom being se%ually abused by hite men.(# The *emale slaves

usually got a small ornament *or o**ering themselves to the hite men/ and i* they ere not

illing to present themselves/ they ere hipped.(7

Though/ not only hite men abused their *emale slaves/ there are also accounts o*

hite mistresses ho abused blac omen/ especially *emale slaves ho ored in the

household e%perienced violence. These slaves ere unprotected to the mistresses a*ter a 9bad’

43 Ibid./ $!.44 Ibid./ $#.45 Ibid./ 31.46 'hild/ ncidents/ ((.47

ohn <. Blassingame * The Slave Community $lantation +ife in the Ante-Bellum South =-e >or5 ,%*ord4niversity )ress/ 1$#2A/ 72.48 Ibid./ 73.

12




day/ and since they ere the closest o* the slaves to the master’s *amily/ they ere an easy

target.($ It mostly had to do ith Kealousy o* the mistresses. <hen *ormer slave Moses Roper

as born/ *or e%ample/ his mistress tried to ill him hen she discovered that her husband

as Roper’s *ather. To prevent this/ the man sold Roper and his mother.0+@ &n e%ample o*

ho both the master and mistress let a slave oman su**er is in the autobiography o* ulia &.

. "oot. "oot has never been a slave/ hoever she remembers ho it as *or her parents5 +1

LMy mother had one very cruel master and mistress. This man/ hom she as

obliged to call master/ tied her up and hipped her because she re*used to submit

hersel* to him/ and reported his conduct to her mistress. &*ter the hipping/ he himsel*

ashed her uivering bac ith strong salt ater. &t the e%piration o* a ee she as sent

to change her clothing hich stuc *ast to her bac. :er mistress/ seeing that she could not

remove it/ too hold o* the rough to6linen under6garment and pulled it o** over her head ith

a Ker/ hich too the sin ith it/ leaving her bac all ra and sore.0+2

<4; Bodies as Commodities

Se%ual abuse o* blac omen did not only occur hile they ere in bondage. In Sethe’s case/

it also happened to her hile she as a 9*ree’ blac oman. <hen Sethe came out o* Kail *or

illing her daughter/ she anted an engraving on her daughter’s grave. >et/ she could not

a**ord it/ so the engraver proposed5 you got ten minutes I’ll do it *or *ree.0 Sethe agreed ith

this deal/ so she used her body as an article o* commerce. +3

,* course/ se%ual abuse o* blac omen goes hand in hand ith their bodies being a

commodity. In Sethe’s case/ she really used her body as a trading good hile living in

*reedom/ hoever it mostly too place hile living under slavery/ since they ere the

property o* their masters. Thus/ being in possession by someone else/ *emale slaves did not

have anything to say about their bodies. Their bodies became commodities. In ncidents/

acobs e%plains ho this *elt *or her5

:e told me I as his propertyF that I must be subKect to his ill in all things. My soul

revolted against the mean tyranny. But here could I turn *or protectionH -o matter

hether the slave girl be as blac as ebony or as *air as her mistress. In either case/ there

49 Stephanie M.:. 'amp/ Closer to 8reedom 3nslaved 5omen and 3veryday "esistance in the $lantation South

='hapel :ill5 The 4niversity o* -orth 'arolina )ress/ 2@@(/A pagina.50 Blassingame/ The Slave Community/ 7(.51

"leischner/ Masterin# Slavery* 1+3.52 Ibid./ [email protected] Mitchell/ The 8reedom to "emem,er* $+.

13




is no shado o* la to protect her *rom insult/ *rom violence/ or even *rom deathF all these are

in*licted by *iends ho bear the shape o* men. The mistress/ ho ought to protect the helpless

victim/ has no other *eelings toards her but those o* Kealousy and rage. The degradation/ the

rongs/ the vices/ that gro out o* slavery/ are more than I can describe.0+(

-ot only did the bodies o* slaves became commodities/ everything about them as

oned by their masters. &n e%6slave/ Mrs. oseph <ilinson said5

I considered my clothes and the little things I had hen in slavery my on but I didn’t see it

as I do no. I see no that everything I considered my on didn’t belong to me/ but could be

taen *rom me at any time. I didn’t set the same story by my little things that I do no/ *or I

didn’t see things then as I do no.0

++

The brand on Sethe’s mother is another e%ample o* ho slaves ere seen as

commodities. <ith this brand she is distinguished by her master.

Bac there she opened up her dress *ront and li*ter her breast and pointed under it. Right

on her rib as a circle and across burnt right in the sin. She said/ 9This is your ma’am. This/’

and she pointed. 9I am the only one got this mar no. The rest dead. I* something happens to

me and you can’t tell me by my *ace/ you can no me by this mar.’0+!

Sethe/ still very young/ ased i* she could have that brand on her too. &*ter this/ she got

smaced in the *ace by her mother/ Kust because her mother ne hat that mar stood *or5

being the property o* someone else.+#

Se%ual abuse o*ten happened to omen living in slavery/ told in the *emale slave

narratives. Though/ it could also happen hile living in *reedom/ such as Sethe encountered in

the novel. Masters Kusti*ied the act o* se%ual abuse/ because they considered their slaves astheir on property/ that is hy some masters branded their slaves. In the case o* branding

such as Sethe’s mother encountered/ it reminded the slaves that they ere being oned by

somebody else/ such as the hippings that made brands on their bodies. But overall/ being

se%ually abused ill never be *orgotten in a slave oman’s mind.

54 'hild/ ncidents/ (+.55 "leischner/ Masterin# Slavery/ $3.56

8ana :eller/ "econstructin# ?in 8amily* History* and !arrative in Toni Morrison%s Beloved*' 'ollegeiterature 21 =1$$(A.57 Ibid.

14




15




!. Motherhood

The most *rightening thing *or slave parents as/ once they did have children/ the detachment

o* their *amily. &ccording to historian Brenda Stevenson/ slave masters tried to avoid the

separation o* *amilies/ hoever hen things got a little pressed many slave oners *irst

thought about their personal advantages be*ore they thought about the prosperity o* their

slaves.+7 Baby Suggs e%perienced an encounter similar to this. She coupled ith a stra boss

*or *our months in e%change *or eeping her third child/ a boy/ ith her J only to have him

traded *or lumber in the spring o* the ne%t year and to *ind hersel* pregnant by the man ho

promised not to and did.0+$

Motherhood as something dangerous *or slaves. It as understood to be an

obstruction to escape and no protection against se%ual abuse.0!@ This is hy many slave

omen chose in*anticide/ abortion or ran aay.!1

In this chapter/ the practical aspects o* motherhood and the sacri*ices slave omen had

to endure are being mentioned.

@4. $ractical Aspects

,nce omen slaves got pregnant/ they certainly could not stop oring. <hile their children

ere still babies they either breast6*ed them themselves hile oring/ or they relied on

support *rom other slave omen/ such as the aged omen on the plantations.!2

That Sethe as traumatied by the mil6stealing incident as not very strange. &s

mentioned be*ore/ she *elt very privileged to breast6*ed her on children/ since many *emale

slaves could not. It as customary that one *emale slave breast6*ed all the childrenF blacs and

hites. In Beloved this Kob belonged to -an. -an too care o* all the children/ including the

young Sethe.!3 In the boo The 8reedom to "emem,er / 8eborah Cray <hite rote an

analysis that maternity as very important *or omen in &*rica. Their main tas as to

support their *amilies. They ere the heart and the basis o* the *amily/ hoever these omen

had rights and these ere being secured. So/ compared to &*rican &merican omen slaves/

the lives o* &*rican omen ere very much di**erent *rom them.!( 8ue to lac o* security and

58 Brenda ?. Stevenson * +ife in Blac> & 5hite 8amily and Community in the Slave South =-e >or5 ,%*ord

4niversity )ress/ 1$$!A/ 12+.59 Mitchell/ The 8reedom to "emem,er* $!.60 "leischner/ Masterin# Slavery* 1#$.61 Ibid./ 1#$.62 )aul "inelman/ ed./ Articles on American Slavery4 5omen and the 8amily in a Slave Society =-e >or5

Carland )ublishing/ Inc./ 1$7$A/ 3$3.63 Mitchell/ The 8reedom to "emem,er* $7.64 Ibid./ 2(.

16




rights/ slaves had no authority over themselves/ and neither over their children. &s Baby

Suggs said5 the nastiness o* li*e as the shoc she received upon learning that nobody

stopped playing checers Kust because the pieces included her children.0!+ This is hy many

*emale slaves did not ant to get close to their children/ so that hen they ere separated or

died it might not hurt as much. But it mostly did anyays. They still anted the best *or their

children/ even though they did not no be*orehand hat the *ate o* their child ould be.

&ccording to Morrison/ omen slaves

are people ho hardly dare love their children because they may be sold tomorroF ho

ill not love/ or reluctantly party love/ children *athered by hite mastersF ho do not no/

as human beings need to no/ ho are their ancestors/ here they come *rom. They are

people ho on nothing/ and are themselves oned.0!!

&n e%ample o* the statement that slave mothers still anted the best *or their children can be

seen in ncidents.

I loved to atch his in*ant slumbersF but alays there as a dar cloud over my

enKoyment. I could never *orget that he as a slave. Sometimes I ished that he might die in

in*ancy. Cod tried me. My darling became very ill. The bright eyes gre dull/ and the little

*eet and hands ere so icy cold that I thought death had already touched them. I had prayed

*or his death/ but never so earnestly as I no prayed *or his li*eF and my prayer as heard.

&las/ hat mocery it is *or a slave mother to try to pray bac her dying child to li*eQ 8eath is

better than slavery. It as a sad thought that I had no name to give my child. :is *ather

caressed him and treated him indly/ henever he had a chance to see him. :e as not

unilling that he should bear his nameF but he had no legal claim to itF and i* I had bestoed it

upon him/ my master ould have regarded it as a ne crime/ a ne piece o* insolence/ and

ould/ perhaps/ revenge it on the boy. ,/ the serpent o* Slavery has many and poisonous*angsQ0!#

acobs ne that her child had no *uture/ hoever she as still hurt by this *act.

@4; Sacrifice

Many slave mothers tried to sacri*ice their lives *or their ids/ even though they ne it as

65

Morrison/ Beloved / 32.66 Ibid./ %iv.67 'hild/ ncidents* $!.

17




probably ine**ective. There are accounts o* omen ho did anything *or their children/ such

as acobs in ncidents. acobs hides *or several years/ in order *or her children to become *ree.

Though/ the ultimate sacri*ice a omen can mae *or her child is to *ree them *rom bondage.

In Beloved* Sethe illed her baby girl out o* love. But to hat e%tent can this be Kusti*iedH

&ccording to Toni Morrison it is accepted under the circumstances/ hoever it is e%treme. !7

It’s an e%cess o* maternal *eeling/ a total surrender to that commitment/ and/ you no/ such

e%cesses are not good. She has stepped across the line/ so to spea.0 !$

<hen Sethe *led to the -orth to live ith Baby Suggs and her children/ she thought

she as *inally *ree *rom bondage/ hoever then Schoolteacher appeared at their house. <ith

Schoolteacher’s appearance/ Sethe *elt endangered and cornered. She ne that the only ay

to combat him as to ill her children/ to put her babies here they’d be sa*e/0 #@ because she

as not illing to give up her *reedom and the *reedom o* her children/ to a li*e in bondage.

She could not allo that anybody hite could tae your hole sel* *or anything that came to

mind. -ot Kust or/ ill/ or maim you/ but dirty you. 8irty you so bad you couldn’t lie

yoursel* anymore.0#1 So/ Sethe illed her baby daughter ith a handsa and tried to harm the

other ones too/ but they ere grabbed by their neighbor/ Stamp )aid.#2

The ultimate sacri*ice Sethe made as not uncommon *or slave omen. Sethe’s

illing o* her baby happened hile she as *ree/ but in Beloved there are other e%amples o*

mothers 9illing’ their children/ hoever this occurred during slavery. ,ne e%ample is ?lla/

the omen in the novel ho contributed to the 4nderground Railroad in cooperation ith

Stamp )aid. She became pregnant a*ter being se%ually assaulted. <hen her child as born

she did not ant to loo a*ter him/ so the conseuence as that the baby died. #3&lso/ Sethe’s

mother le*t all her children behind ho ere conceived by hites a*ter being se%ually abused/

e%cept *or Sethe/ since she as contrived by a blac man.#( Such accounts can also be seen in

other *ictions/ such as in 9ncle Tom’s Ca,in. 'assy/ the slave omen ho is mentioned in an

earlier chapter about the loss o* her children/ became pregnant again/ hoever this time she

illed her baby.

'aptain Stuart as very ind to meF he had a splendid plantation and too me to it. In the

course o* a year/ I had a son born. ,/ that childQ J ho I loved itQ :o Kust lie my poor

68 Taylor6Cuthrie/ Conversations/ 2+2.69 Ibid./ 2+2.70 Mitchell/ The 8reedom to "emem,er* $7.71 Ibid./ $7.72

Ibid./ $7.73 ;im/ Toni Morrison’s Beloved* 22.74 Ibid./ 23.

18




:enry the little thing looedQ But I had made up my mind/ 6 yes/ I had. I ould never again let

a child live to gro upQ I too the little *ello in my arms/ hen he as to ees old/ and

issed him/ and cried over himF and then I gave him laudanum/ and held him close to my

bosom/ hile he slept to death. :o I mourned and cried over itQ &nd ho ever dreamed that

it as anything but a mistae/ that had made me give it the laudanumH but it’s one o* the *e

thing that I’m glad o*/ no. I am not sorry/ to this dayF he/ at least/ is out o* pain. <hat better

than death could I give him/ poor childQ0#+

That in*anticide as a 9common’ thing *or slave omen hile living in bondage/ can be

supported by 'harlotte Broos’ slave narrative The House of Bonda#e4 The only di**erence

beteen The House of Bonda#e and Beloved is that Sethe illed her child hile being *ree/

hoever both committed in*anticide to not let their children e%perience slavery. &unt'harlotte also thought that death as better *or her children than living in bondage.

They died *or ant o* attention. I used to leave them alone hal* o* the time. Sometimes old

mistress ould have someone to mind them till they got so they could al/ but a*ter that they

ould have to paddle *or themselves. I as glad the ord too them/ *or I noed they ere

better o** ith my blessed esus than ith me.0#!

It is certainly outrageous that one can ill her child/ hoever the greatest cruelty in the

novel Beloved is the institution o* slavery. Sethe did not ant her child to e%perience slavery

the ay she e%perienced it/ so she thought this as the best option. &ccording to Stamp )aid

Sethe as not cray. She loves those children. She as trying to out6hurt the hurter.0##

:oever/ )aul 8 believed that you should limit your love i* you are a slave.#7

istening to the doves in &l*red/ Ceorgia/ and having neither the right nor the

permission to enKoy it because in that place mist/ doves/ sunlight/ copper dirt/ moon J

everything belonged to the men ho had the guns. ittle men/ some o* them/ big men

too/ each one o* hom he could snap lie a tig i* he anted toN &nd these 9men’

ho made even vi%en laugh could/ i* you let them/ stop you *rom hearing doves or

loving moonlight. So you protected yoursel* and loved small. )iced the tiniest stars

out o* the sy to on.. Crass blades/ salamanders/ spiders/ oodpecers/ beetles/ a

75 Stoe/ 9ncle Tom’s Ca,in/ [email protected] ,ctavia E. Rogers &lbert/ ed./ The House of Bonda#e or Charlotte Broo>s and Other Slaves =-e >or5

:unt O ?aton/ 17$@A/ 1(.77 ;im/ Toni Morrison’s Beloved* 2#.78 Morrison/ Beloved / %iv.

19




ingdom o* ants. &nything bigger ouldn’t do. & oman/ a child/ a brother J a big

love lie that ould split you right open in &l*red/ Ceorgia.0#$

&ccording to )aul 8/ Sethe’s love as too thic.07@ :e thought/

"or a used6to6be6slave oman to love anything that much as dangerous/ especially i* it

as her children she had settled on to love. The best thing/ he ne/ as to love Kust a little

bitF everything/ Kust a little bit/ so hen they broe its bac/ or shoved it in a croaer sac/

ell/ maybe you’d have a little love le*t over *or the ne%t one.071

&ccording to Sethe ove is or it ain’t. Thin love ain’t love at all/0 72 and according to

Morrison/ e have to try. -ot trying is so poor *or the sel*. It’s so poor *or the mind/ it’s so

uninteresting to live ithout love.073 So/ Sethe legitimied her act by saying that bondage

itsel* ould have been more severe than death.

Beloved/ she my daughter. She mine. See. She come bac to me o* her on *ree ill and I

don’t have to e%plain a thing. I didn’t have time to e%plain be*ore because it had to be done

uic. uic. She had to be sa*e and I put her here she ould be. LN I’ll e%plain her/ even

though I don’t have to. <hy I did it. :o i* I hadn’t illed her she ould have died and that is

something I could not bear to happen to her. <hen I e%plain it she’ll understand/ because she

understand everything already.07(

Sethe is emotionally and physically hurt by her illing her baby. She is a*raid to

nurture another child. Sethe replies to )aul 8’s uestion o* anting a baby *rom her5 needing

to be good enough/ alert enough/ strong enough/ that caring J again. :aving to stay alive Kust

that much longer. , ord/ she thought/ deliver me. 4nless care*ree/ motherlove as a

iller.07+

Motherhood during slavery as very comple% as can be seen in the narratives o* The

House of Bonda#e and ncidents. ,verall/ omen during slavery did not have the chance to

really get to no their on children. In the novel Beloved on the other hand/ Sethe could

79 Morrison/ Beloved / %iv.80 Ibid./ 1$1.81 Ibid./ +#.82 Ibid./ 1$1.83

Taylor6Cuthrie/ Conversations/ 2!7.84 Morrison/ Beloved* 231.85 Ibid./ 1+(.

20




really acnoledge and love her ids/ since they ere living together in *reedom. :oever/

ith the e%perience o* slavery in the bac o* Sethe’s mind/ and the sight o* her old master

trying to get them bac/ Sethe committed in*anticide. She said it as a terrible thing to do/

hoever it as inevitable. She Kust anted to eep her children out o* slavery/ coincided by

all the other omen slaves. The institution o* slavery had such an e**ect on omen/ that

nothing else seemed a better option *or their children.

21




". Flight

oss o* *amily members/ se%ual abuse and motherhood are very much related to *light. Being

in possession by someone else/ being subKected to rape and abuse/ bearing children but having

no authority over them/ and then having the ris that *amilies are being separated *rom each

other/ maes it hard *or omen slaves to ant to stay in bondage. &ll these threats and

insecurities made them ant to escape bondage. In ncidents/ acobs said that5

I could have made my escape aloneF but it as more *or my helpless children than *or

mysel* that I longed *or *reedom. Though the boon ould have been precious to me/ above

all price/ I ould not have taen it at the e%pense o* leaving them in slavery.7!

&ccording to ;olchin/ *leeing as mostly independently done/ because it as risy and more

noticeably i* you *led in groups.7#

In this chapter/ the obstacles o* *leeing ill be analyed in the slave narrative

ncidents and in the novel Beloved* supported by Stephanie 'amp’s boo Closer to 8reedom*

about enslaved omen and resistance. ncidents and Beloved are not directly being compared/

but mostly used as e%amples to underpin the statements o* Stephanie 'amp.

4. O,stacles

The decisions slave omen had to mae to protect their children/ ere e%tremely hard. It as

not easy *or slave omen to escape hile having children or being pregnant. It made it more

complicated to stay put and not to be noticed by others. That is hy Sethe in Beloved had sent

her children ahead o* her to the -orth. In the boo Closer to 8reedom/ )ro*essor Stephanie

'amp maes it clear that usually the men ere the ones escaping/ hile the omen mostly

9le*t’ *or a short period.77 -ot many omen *led to the -orth/ since nobody respects a mother

ho *orsaes her children.0

7$

"emale slaves *elt that they had responsibilities over theirchildren. ?ven though they could not on them/ they still *elt horrible leaving them behind.

&ccording to 'amp duty/ a**ection/ and conceptions o* blac omanhood tightened and

complicated omen’s attachments to the South.0$@ &n e%ample o* this is *ound in ncidents4

acobs hides out *or seven years. She did not escape/ but sought re*uge near her children.

,*ten/ masters did their best to mae up stories about *leeing. In ncidents acobs

86 'hild/ ncidents* 13#.87 ;olchin/ American Slavery* 1!1.88

'amp/ Closer to 8reedom* 3!.89 Ibid./ 3#.90 Ibid./ 3#.

22




e%plains ho masters did this5

<hen they visit the north/ and return home/ they tell their slaves o* the runaays they have

seen/ and describe them to be in the most deplorable condition. & slaveholder once told me

that he has seen a runaay *riend o* mine in -e >or/ and that she besought him to tae her

bac to her master *or she as literally dying o* starvationF that many days she had only one

cold potato to eat/ and at other times could not get nothing at all. :e said he re*used to tae

her/ because he ne her master ould not than him *or bringing such a miserable retch to

his house.0$1

<ith these lies/ masters hoped that slaves ould thin that they ere better o** ith them in

bondage/ here they had *ood and shelter/ instead o* somehere 9*ree’ in the -orth ithnothing *amiliar around them.

There ere hoever omen ho escaped to the -orth/ ith or ithout children/ but

these numbers ere small compared to slave men.$2 <hile *leeing/ you ere e%posed to many

riss/ such as getting lost and being ithout *ood. :oever/ slaves in bondage also su**ered a

lot/ so many slaves ere illing to ris the dangers o* escaping. $3 ?ven though some slaves

made it to the -orth/ they ere not save yet. In 17+@/ the "ugitive Slave &ct came into

e%istence. Inhabitants ere *orced by this la to assist in sending bac escaped slaves. It as

a crime i* you resisted to aid in this process/ and there ere serious punishments *or this. $( So/

ith this &ct/ the possibility o* being caught and sent bac home/ here slaves ould endure

severe chastise/ as becoming greater. Sethe came into contact ith this &ct. Sethe as one

o* the omen slaves ho nevertheless *led to the -orth. &*ter she accomplished to mae it

sa*e to her mother6in6la’s house/ Sethe *elt relieved. She as *inally *ree *rom bondage. She

as proud o* hersel* that she made it and e%perienced great pleasure in being a mom *or her

children.$+ Sethe e%plained to )aul 8/

I did it. I got us all out. <ithout :alle too. 4p till then it as the only thing I ever did on my

on. 8ecided. &nd it came o** right/ lie it as supposed to. <e as here. ?ach and every

one o* my babies and me too. I birthed them and I got em out and it asn’t no accident. I did

91 'hild/ ncidents/ !#.92 'amp/ Closer to 8reedom/ 37.

93 Ibid./ 37.94 A Century of +awma>in# for a !ew !ation 94S4 Con#ressional ocuments and e,ates* .22@ .12/0 last

modi*ied une 2@/ 2@11/ http5memory.loc.govcgi6binampageHcollIdllslO*ile-ame@@$llsl@@$.dbOrec-um(7$.95 Mitchell/ The 8reedom to "emem,er* $7.

23




that. I had help/ o* course/ lots o* that/ but still it as me doing itF me saying/ )o on* and

!ow4 Me having to loo out. Me using my on head. But it as more than that. It as ind o*

sel*ishness I never ne nothing about be*ore. It *elt good. Cood and right. I as big/ )aul 8/

and deep and ide and hen I stretched out my arms all my children could get in beteen. I

as that ide. oo lie I loved em more a*ter I got here. ,r maybe I couldn’t love em

proper in ;entucy because they asn’t mine to love. But hen I got here/ hen I Kumped

don o** that agon J there asn’t nobody in the orld I couldn’t love i* I anted to.0$!

But she as eventually *ound by her master/ as mentioned in chapter *our. ucily/ a*ter

being in Kail *or a short time/ she as sent home.

Most slave escapes evolved around big struggles. It as hard *or them to eventually

get hat they anted/ i* they made it in the process o* *light. In ncidents/ acobs escape as*ar *rom easy. She not only brought hersel* in danger/ her *amily members ere involved in

her escape as ell5 her brother/ her aunt and her children ere sent to Kail by her master/ 8r.

"lint. :er master hoped that they ould tell him here acobs as hiding.$# But the only

thing acobs could thin o* as5 Cive me liberty or give me death.0$7 She thought that as

long as she ould remain at 8r. "lint’s house/ her children ould never become *ree/ so

hiding as the best option. &t *irst acobs hid in her *riend’s house/ but she eventually ended

up in her loophole o* retreat/0$$ hich as a very tiny storage room ith hardly any light or

air here she hid *or seven years.1@@ "inally/ she as assisted in *leeing to the "ree States in

the -orth/ here she as reunited ith her children.

,verall/ *leeing as not easy/ especially not *or omen ho had children. &lso the

ris o* being caught and send bac to your master as one o* the things slaves had to cope

ith hile trying to escape. In ncidents as ell as in Beloved* both omen escaped their

masters. :oever/ in Beloved / Sethe as *ound by hers.

96 Morrison/ Beloved* 177.97 'hild/ ncidents* 1+(.98

Ibid./ 1+1.99 Ibid./ 1#3100 Ibid./ 22(.

24




Conclusion

<hile comparing the novel Beloved / ith several slave narratives/ it becomes clear that Toni

Morrison does a good Kob ith maing people understand &*rican6&merican history.01@1 ,*

course/ Morrison’s boo is based on a true story/ Margaret Carner’s story/ though Beloved is

still *iction. -evertheless/ it can be seen as a good re*erence *or hat happened during the

period o* slavery in the 4nited States and therea*ter.

The themes used in this essay such as/ loss/ *emale bodies/ motherhood and *light/ are

reoccurring themes in many *emale slave narratives. ,ne can say that all these themes are

related to one another. ,* course there are e%ceptions/ hoever/ many *emale slaves have

encountered hippings or other sorts o* abuse/ such as se%ual abuse. &lso/ at one point in

their lives *emale slaves became mothers/ anted or unanted. "urthermore/ these *emale

slaves are con*ronted ith many other hardships/ such as the loss o* *amily members through

death/ or through the master’s decision o* selling them. oss by selling or *orced separation is

a theme hich is not alluded to in Beloved* even though this is a reoccurring theme in the

history o* slavery and in slave narratives. To mae an end to the di**icult lives o* omen

slaves/ some tried to escape/ alone or ith children.

In Beloved* through the conversations o* Sethe ith )aul 8./ e learn more about

Sethe’s past/ and in return/ Sethe ill remember her on past by retelling it to someone. &ll

other *emale slave narratives are ritten to mae us understand that *emale slaves su**ered a

lot. These slave narratives and the novel Beloved together can be seen as a remembrance tool

*or every single person. To conclude/ the *ictional account o* Beloved gives a good

reconstruction o* the lives o* *emale slaves/ compared to *emale slave narratives and hat

historians have ritten about it.

101 &i/ t’s !ot Over* 1.

25




!otes

&i/ ;ader. t’s !ot Over - "ememories of a Hauntin# $ast in Toni Morrison%s Beloved4'

MDnchen5 CRI-/ Eerlag/ 2@@3.

&lbert/ ,ctavia E. Rogers/ ed. The House of Bonda#e or Charlotte Broo>s and Other Slaves. -e >or5 :unt O ?aton/ 17$@.

Beaulieu/ ?liabeth &/ ed. The Toni Morrison 3ncyclopedia4 <estport/ 'T5 Creenood )ress/

2@@3.

Blassingame/ ohn <. The Slave Community $lantation +ife in the Ante-Bellum South4 -e

>or5 ,%*ord 4niversity )ress/ 1$#2.

Bloom/ :arold. Toni Morrison’s Beloved4 -e >or5 In*obase )ublishing/ 2@@$.

'amp/ Stephanie M.:. Closer to 8reedom 3nslaved 5omen and 3veryday "esistance in the

$lantation South4 'hapel :ill5 The 4niversity o* -orth 'arolina )ress/ 2@@(.

'hild/ ydia Maria/ ed. ncidents in the +ife of a Slave )irl4 5ritten By Herself . Boston5

)ublished *or the &uthor/ 17!1.

"inelman/ )aul/ ed. Articles on American Slavery4 5omen and the 8amily in a Slave Society4 -e >or5 Carland )ublishing/ Inc./ 1$7$.

"leischner/ enni*er. Masterin# Slavery Memory* 8amily* and dentity in 5omen’s Slave

!arratives4 -e >or5 -e >or 4niversity )ress/ 1$$!.

:eller/ 8ana4 "econstructin# ?in 8amily* History* and !arrative in Toni Morrison%s

Beloved4' 'ollege iterature 21 =1$$(A.

;im/ :eera 'hristian. Toni Morrison’s Beloved as African-American Scripture & Other

Articles on History and Canon4 -e ersey5 :ermit ;ingdom )ress/ 2@@!.

;olchin/ )eter. American Slavery ./.0-.1224 -e >or5 :ill and <ang/ 2@@3.

ibrary o* 'ongress. A Century of +awma>in# for a !ew !ation 94S4 Con#ressional

ocuments and e,ates* .22@ .124' ast modi*ied une 2@/ 2@11.

http5memory.loc.govcgi6binampageHcollIdllslO*ile-ame@@$llsl@@$.dbOrec-um(7$.Mitchell/ &ngelyn. The 8reedom to "emem,er !arrative* Slavery* and )ender in

Contemporary Blac> 5omen’s 8iction4 -e ersey5 Rutgers 4niversity )ress/ 2@@2.

Morrison/ Toni. Beloved4 -e >or5 ?veryman’s ibrary/ 2@@!.

Stevenson/ Brenda ?4 +ife in Blac> & 5hite 8amily and Community in the Slave South4

-e >or5 ,%*ord 4niversity )ress/ 1$$!.

Stoe/ :arriet Beecher 4 9ncle Tom’s Ca,in Or* +ife Amon# the +owly4 :olume Two4

Boston5 ohn ). eett O 'ompany/ 17+2.

Taylor6Cuthrie/ 8anille/ ed. Conversations with Toni Morrison4 acson5 4niversity )ress o*

Mississippi/ 1$$(.

Scriptie Faye Kegley.doc

Documents

Transcript of Scriptie Faye Kegley.doc