Project Part 2: Critical Commentary

Nicole Coonradt’s article examines the character of Amy Denver and the importance that this character has in Toni Morrison’s Beloved. In her article, “To Be Loved: Amy Denver and Human Need- Bridges to Understanding in Toni Morrison’s Beloved” Coonradt argues that the character Amy Denver plays a more significant role in the novel than most give credit for, and that she is a key figure in understanding racial issues. For Amy acts as a “bridge” between races, because of her similar background to Sethe and her kindhearted actions.

Coonradt’s piece argues that though Amy has few words dedicated to her, she remains vital and important to the overall theme and message Morrison conveys in her work. Her main basis for this argument is in Amy’s background and personal actions with Sethe, which she claims are evidence that Amy is a “bridge” to understanding, or a parallel to that- a symbol of hope. Coonradt pulls from the dialogue between Amy and Sethe to gather that Amy is a runaway indentured slave, escaping from a master who locked her in a “root cellar” and subjected her to abuse. As she writes of Amy’s presence and role in the novel, “Morrison presents Amy Denver as evidence of white exploitation of white, class repression, and the marginalization of women within the white patriarchal culture,” (Coonradt, 9). Coondradt notes how this mirrors Sethe’s background and position in society, and that because of these similarities Amy is able to relate to the pain of Sethe and the other slaves. Thus painting her as understanding, as she “overlooks racial differences just as Morrison pushes the reader to do” (Coonradt, 7). For Amy helped Sethe in a time of need, completely disregarding race, her own chance at freedom, and any consequences that may have stemmed from helping a runaway slave. Because of these qualities and the fact that she too comes from a flawed past, “… Morrison presents her—who is called beloved, but is not beloved—as a bridge to white society.” (Coonradt, 11). For Amy proves strikingly different from the other white characters, like Schoolteacher, showing that “love reaches beyond all boundaries” (Coondradt, 16).

Coonradt further looks at Morrison’s use of language as evidence in her argument as she writes, “The etymology of this word reveals the striking fact that the name, from the Old French "Aimee," in use since the twelfth century, derives from the Latin amatus (loved), and literally means "beloved." Recognizing this, one must logically ask why Morrison named not one, but two characters Beloved.” (Coonradt, 3). Thus showing that her name alone signifies that her presence in the novel is something greater than what it appears on the surface. She further examines the word “beloved”, and makes the point that it breaks down and further relates to Morrison’s overall message of understanding, “Be loved”.

After reading Coonradt’s article, I would say that I agree with the points she brings up. I thought this was a very interesting look at the novel and at a character who seemed to me to have a very minor role. I think because she had such a minor appearance in the novel, I didn’t pick up on some of the points that Coonradt had brought up in her article. However, I think reading this novel a second time such details would be more noticeable. I think Coonradt’s argument was very interesting and convincing, and shows how Amy truly was an important piece of the story. Readers could definitely see the profound effect she had on Sethe and Denver, as she was essential in both Sethe’s survival and Denver’s life. Furthermore, every time the story of Denver’s birth was told, they seemed to regard Amy as an almost angelic figure. It’s clear that Morrison’s novel brought up these awful tales of slavery to inform her audience of its horrors, and to show how the effects of these experiences lingered, and pushed for more racial understanding and progress. With that being said, I can see how Amy fits as a symbol of this hope and understanding, as she made risks and did everything to help Sethe heal and give birth.

Coonradt, Nicole M. "To Be Loved: Amy Denver And Human Need-Bridges To Understanding In Toni Morrison's Beloved." College Literature 32.4 (2005): 168-187. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 15 May 2015.

Project Part 2: Synthesis

While Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, stand quite different from one another, the two novels do share some similarities in their stories of characters living under the conditions and torment of slavery.  The clearest theme the two share is the effects of slavery on the African American race and psyche. While the two novels do share this characteristic, it is striking how many aspects of this theme are portrayed differently, and to what extent as well.

In Uncle Tom’s Cabin, readers clearly see the negative effects slavery has on the characters. Like Sethe in Beloved, Eliza flees with her child to escape a future life of slavery for her son. Tom and his family and friends, must bear the emotional and physical weight slavery takes on them, as well. For the cruelty of masters such as George’s left them feeling exhausted, and like they were less than a person, as George said, “My country! What country have I, but the grave, --and I wish to God that I was laid there!” (Stowe, 99).

In Stowe’s novel, characters such as Tom turn to religion as a means to deal with the effects and torments they face at the hands of slavery. As I mentioned in the first part of this project, and as we talked about in class, Tom was portrayed as being a Christ figure in the novel, as he would bear everyone’s struggles and die a martyr for them. Tom still remained heartbroken over his situation and being sent South, but his strong belief in his religion and redemption in the afterlife kept him carrying on. The audience sees him breaking down in emotional defeat at both St. Clare’s and Legree’s plantations, as he grapples with the emotional and physical effects of slavery. However, in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, religion is continually shown to lift the spirits and emotional burden of the slaves, seeming to free them from many of their problems. Yet, with this in mind, Stowe really glosses over the trauma and damage of slavery to both the slaves themselves, and the African American race as a whole, in her novel.

However, Morrison’s novel shows a much different picture in regards to the effects slavery has on the characters. Morrison’s novel depicts both the physical and psychological torment of slavery and the long lasting effect this has on the former slaves and their families, as well. In Beloved, Sethe and Paul D. are constantly reliving the memories of Sweet Home, and their own separate experiences after their escape from the place. Living in this aftermath left them treading conversations and memories lightly, as “Saying more might push them both to a place they couldn’t get back from” (Morrison, 86). After the death of her child, Sethe’s remaining daughter Denver lives in a life full of questions and fear as she’s confined to the house, the ghost of Beloved, and the memories Sethe and Paul D share. Characters in Morrison’s novel also suffer from the severe physical effects of slavery. Sethe lives with the memory of being caught in her escape and having her milk stolen, and the scar on her back remains a daily reminder of this. Paul D too is faced the remembrances of being in an iron collar, and seeing his friends being burned, beaten and shot.

Additionally, we spent time in class answering the question, “Who/what do you think Beloved is and what might she symbolize?” I think this again relates to my personal synthesis, and the effects of slavery that are seen in Beloved. For I thought that whatever Beloved was, she symbolized the lingering torments of slavery, because she had such a profound and psychological effect on all the characters she came in contact with in the story. She consumed the mind of Sethe in particular, just like the experience and memories of Sweet Home and her escape from the place constantly flooded her mind. As Sethe spoke to Paul D of the memories of Sweet Home, “Comes back whether we want it to or not” (Morrison, 16). The effects of slavery were so strong that it remained a part of her memory and identity that she couldn’t break away from.

The way the effects of slavery are dealt with in both novels, relates back to an article I read by Sophia Cantave for the first part of this project on Uncle Tom’s Cabin. In her article, Cantave had argued that among other things, Stowe’s book didn’t accurately portray slavery and left out a lot of its horrors. Since Stowe was also a white woman, Cantave argued that she was able to speak for this experience, as it became what people in society took to be both accurate and relatively truthful, simply given her race. Thus causing the dismissal of the stories and experiences of African Americans, as she wrote of their struggles stating, “African Americans who step outside the accepted parameters of slavery’s discourse risk shutting down discussions, arousing white defensive or apologetic barrages and black desires to acquiesce and make nice in the face of such responses.” (Cantave, 591) I think we can definitely see this difference after reading the two novels, as Morrison’s novel certainly depicted slavery and its effects as what it truly was. Furthermore, we discussed in class how people tried to ban Beloved because of its content, which helps provide evidence for Cantave’s point on the authenticity and acceptance of the work of African American writers like Toni Morrison.

Even though Morrison’s novel was written quite a long time after Stowe’s book, I think it’s important that readers take to Beloved, even if it is a little dark and complex of a novel. For Morrison’s novel shows the effects that slavery had into the next generations, and how it completely left former slaves with torment, trauma, and brokenness that they tried hard to recover from. I think most often the psychological effects of slavery and racism can go unnoticed, and Beloved offers the audience this missing piece of the puzzle. In portraying this torment, I think Morrison is also able to appeal to the emotions of readers by showing the bigger picture of slavery, as compared to Harriet Beecher Stowe. While it is rather dark and disturbing material, it allows readers to become more aware of some of the hardships faced by slaves and their families, both during slavery and in the aftermath of its existence. Being that Morrison is of African American heritage, and brings these horrors to light, she’s able to give voice to the African American community instead of letting white authors speak for the whole experience. In doing so, I think she not only educates her audience but also offers us material to look to in order to understand racial issues and make racial progress.

                 

                                                                                         

Cantave, Sophia. “Who Gets to Create the Lasting Images? The Problem of Black Representation in Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” Uncle Tom’s Cabin. (2010) 582-594. Print.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Knopf, 1987. Print.

Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Ed. Elizabeth Ammons. New York: W.W. Norton, 1994. Print.

Project Part 2: Reader Response

Of course everyone has their own unique taste in books, along with their own unique experience in both reading and interpreting the story. Overall, the reviews of Beloved from Goodreads, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon tended to be rather positive, with Toni Morrison’s novel having a generally high rating on each site.

On Goodreads, Beloved had a positive rating, however, there was quite a mixture of both positive and negative ratings and responses from readers. Many readers who gave the novel high marks, noted that they enjoyed the poetic style of Morrison’s writing, and how this created such an element of beauty within the novel. Readers who enjoyed the novel also wrote of how they liked the book’s imagery, and the supernatural elements Morrison included in the story. As one commenter, Rachel, wrote, “Morrison finds a way to allow the reader to easily throw their emotions into the novel so that you will feel anger, love, passion, hatred, sadness, loss, longing, ecstasy and so much more during your reader's journey. Not to mention that every so often you will need to stop to admire a single sentence or passage whose exquisite writing absolutely takes your breath away.” For those on Goodreads who didn’t enjoy the novel, they commonly noted the novel’s dark material and complexity as reasons for why they didn’t like the story. Many also made the claim that the novel was slow to start, and found the nonlinear plot to be confusing and distracting.

Reviews on Barnes and Noble were relatively similar to those on Goodreads. Again, many people commented on how much emotion the struggles and lives of the characters provoked. On this site, however, many more people commented on the theme of slavery and how much the novel really brought these struggles to light. As one user wrote, “The deeply troubled main characters and bone chilling plot takes place in a haunting setting which keeps the pages turning and the reader wanting more, even after the novel has ended.” I couldn’t agree more with this comment. I think this rang especially true given that readers are not given full closure with the fate and future of the characters at the end of the novel. What really did become of Beloved? Maybe more importantly, what was Beloved? Readers who felt quite differently commonly called the “boring” and many noted they found the book confusing, especially in respect to the way the novel’s narration was constructed. Another common thread among those who gave lower rating and remarks, were that they found the book “disturbing”, and that the actions and behaviors of Sethe and some of the former slaves were reasons why they couldn’t enjoy the novel. However disturbing these actions or comments by characters may be, I think it’s important for readers to try to understand the situations and conditions the characters were under. Knowing and understanding these factors allows for the audience to see why Sethe committed the act she did, and why it continued to bring her such trauma.

The comments and ratings on Beloved on Amazon’s website were rather similar and consistent with what was seen previously on Goodreads and Barnes and Noble. Again many readers commented on the poetic beauty of Morrison’s writing, and how she was able to create such a range of emotion for readers. Some readers commented that book was simply “okay”, and that the book and it’s ending left them unsatisfied. Unlike the other two sites, many people on Amazon commonly described the book simply as “weird”, and many on this site commented that they were expecting more given the hype and awards that this novel had received. One user who didn’t care for the novel wrote, “Another defect to this book is that the superatural seems out of place in this book. The book starts ordinarily and then a ghost appears.” I’d have to disagree with this user, simply because I think Sethe was still haunted by her deceased child eighteen years later, and thoughts of her lurked around in her mind. Not to mention, that from the very start of novel the audience finds out that something or someone is haunting the house at 124.

Even though the material was rather dark, and sometimes complex, I liked this novel and the overwhelming sense of mystery that seemed to haunt the entire novel. With that being said, I remain in agreement with many of those who left positive remarks and ratings of Beloved on these three sites. However, I can understand some of the sentiments made by those who didn’t like the novel. There were definitely complex parts to the novel, and it could be difficult keeping track of who was speaking or narrating in some cases, as Morrison didn’t make it specifically known to the readers. I subject matter was rather dark in its description of the murder, and the horrors of slavery and Sweet Home, so I also can see why this wasn’t an enjoyable experience for some readers.

However, I think these are unfortunate truths that need to be faced and addressed, as so often many of us only learn about slavery from white institutes, instructors, authors, etc. I think it’s important to read the works of African American authors to hear their voice, history, experiences, even if it's a little dark. I would disagree with the many who called the novel boring, because I think the main message and point of the plot was for readers to see the trauma and torment that slavery and racism had imparted on African Americans, and how it had in turn effected the next generation. With that being said, action wasn’t really necessary to have in the novel, as it would have taken away from this theme, and possibly changed the whole course of the novel.

Project Part 2: Contemporary Connections

http://www.ibtimes.com/baltimore-uprising-2015-parents-black-males-opposite-sides-town-fear-police-1903525

The article, “Baltimore Uprising 2015: Parents Of Black Males On Opposite Sides Of Town Fear Police Harassment, Violence Against Their Children,” from the International Business Times discusses the emotions of African American parents in the Baltimore area, following the recent riots after the death of Freddie Gray. Two parents, and their families, are profiled and share their thoughts on raising their children, and their feelings on the future life of their children. The two families also talk about the fear of their sons being targeted and racially profiled by police, simply because of their race and attire. The article also mentions how one of the young men has become active in his community, and taken part in organizing protests in the area, as well.

I think this shows some connection to the themes in Beloved. This connects to Beloved as it relates to the community solidarity seen at the end of Morrison’s novel. For one of the young men in the article, and the many people involved in the protests and riots in Baltimore, are banding together and showing solidarity, in order to voice concerns and injustices, and improve the lives of African Americans. This is similar to Beloved, as the women in Sethe’s community rallied together to save her from Beloved, and provide aid to Denver when she ventured out of the house in desperate search of help. Earlier in the novel, the community also rallies together to aid in the escape of Sethe and her family, and Paul D and the prisoners work together to escape from their confines, as well. As Paul D was quoted in the novel saying, “For one lost, all lost” (Morrison, 130). For the slaves and the women in Cincinnati all worked together to ensure the survival and safety of each member’s life, much like people are continuing to do today, as they work to assemble protests, etc. to bring safety and equality to their lives.

It’s a rather unfortunate connection, but I think this article and contemporary times show similarities to the novel in terms of the relationships and feelings the slaves had for their children. In the novel, while still living in a racist and slavery confined society, Sethe felt as though she had little power or control, especially over her children’s lives. Furthermore, because of how dire and unfortunate the circumstances were, Sethe especially, feared for her children and what may happen to them at the hands of the white men. Sethe’s fear was most evident when the men from Sweet Home were coming to 124 to take back Sethe and her children. Fearing a life of slavery for her children, once again Sethe acted by,

“…snatching up her children like a hawk on the wing; how her face beaked, how her hands worked like claws, how she collected them every which way: one on her shoulder, one under her arm, one by the hand, the other shouted forward into the woodshed filled with just sunlight and shavings now because there wasn’t any wood.” (Morrison, 185).

I think this is similar to the article mentioned, and today’s times, as many parents of minority races or ethnicities still fear for their child’s future and everyday life, as inklings of racial inequality and injustices still exist today. Recent events and the deaths of African American men, like Freddie Gray, have really brought these issues to light. As one mother in the above article, Tasha Stennett, noted that events like these, “made me feel a little more wanting to hold the reins a little tighter,”(Koplowitz, par. 5). Such quotes actions show the intense love and fear of parents in both the novel and contemporary times.

Beloved further helps us understand and think about these issues as it shows how our racial history in America has been difficult and unfortunate, and how past perceptions, assumptions, and inequalities, continue to remain and influence many in society today. Our nation’s past and history of slavery has stemmed many, if not all, of these problems. For African Americans continue to be subjected to inequalities and injustices in society, causing them to fear and be cautious of whites with authority. The history of slavery and racism that Beloved makes light of shows why African Americans still feel uneasy and less trusting of whites in society, as stories of racism and mistreatment continue to affect the next generations of children. Furthermore, I think Morrison's novel shows that no matter how difficult or unfortunate these stories and event can be, it's important that they are shared so we can not only become more informed, but so can use these stories as a way to make progress on these racial issues.

 Citations:
 Koplowitz, Howard. "Baltimore Uprising 2015: Parents Of Black Males On Opposite Sides Of Town
        Fear Police Harassment, Violence Against Their Children." International Business Times. 30
        Apr. 2015. Web. 4 May 2015.

Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Knopf, 1987. Print.