The book Beloved by Toni Morrison scrutinizes the physical, emotional, and psychological desolation that slavery causes. These devastations continue to  haunt the characters who have escaped the fields of cruelty and bloodshed. Morrison tackles life’s darkest components through flashbacks as the story begins in 1873, with Sethe and her teenage daughter, Denver, living in Ohio, where their house is haunted by the angry ghost of the child Sethe murdered. The series of actions caused by this killing has led to the making of Sethe’s trauma. The novel portrays the cruel aftermath of slavery, the moral and ethical debate of what’s right versus wrong, and how the trauma caused by one’s past can affect one’s present.

At the age of 14, Sethe was sent to Sweet Home and was used as free labor by an abusive owner known as “schoolteacher.” Her own mother discarded her without concern, and Sethe had no mother figure to look up to while growing up. Being raised in this environment, it is justified that one would want to escape. However, while escaping, she was assaulted by the schoolteacher’s nephews and landed a spot in jail. The way she was treated affected the way she treated her children. Knowing first-hand the cruelty of slavery, she couldn’t bear to watch her children suffer the way she did, which results in her trying to kill all four of her children. She successfully killed her young daughter, whom she murdered with a chainsaw. Whether these actions of murder were justified presents a difficult and unusual ethical problem for the readers. Morrison leaves it up to the reader to decide, because she stops short of taking an ethical stance on Sethe’s choice. Ethically, infanticide is an act that directly violates the right of life. As a newborn, the infant no longer lives off of the mother in a form of hospitality. The child now counts as an individual, and with that identity, comes the right to live. However, others could argue that the child may have suffered even more if she had the chance to grow up, as a slave just like her mother. The question then becomes the right to live versus the possible quality of life. These thoughts linger around as we further progress into the book. In the end, Morrison leaves the reader to ponder how they would like to view Sethe as a character, former slave, and mother figure. Is she a murderer or a lifesaver? 

Whichever, her actions have caused her severe trauma and constantly impact how she views things in her life. Beloved is a harrowing story that pushes the reader to confront the main character’s trauma and sympathize with how it has affected her life.  It offers a heart-rendering look at slavery and its lasting impact. Sethe’s past has fully consumed her, and her everyday life consists of trying to redeem herself.

Morrison’s beautiful language, variety of voices, lengthy monologues, and intense imagery draw the reader into the story as it develops. The book is filled with symbols and emotionally striking scenes. An example is the name of the ghost who resembles Sethe’s dead child. Beloved was originally unnamed, however, was dearly loved by Sethe because she didn’t want to see the infant suffer. The word “beloved” means dearly loved, which is what Sethe aims to give the child after abandoning her.

Beloved has allowed readers to better understand the tortures that slaves had to go through, as well as help us understand how past trauma can haunt those who have experienced slavery. The difficult ethical questions proposed throughout the book have helped us further engage with the characters, fully appreciating and acknowledging their troubles as well as their side of the story.