Title : Beloved
Author : Toni Morrison
Context : Story of the novel, ‘Beloved’ (1987) is set during the 1800s in the United States, after the American Civil War. This spellbinding novel stares fearlessly and with courage into the abyss of slavery. It transforms history into a story as cherished as a lullaby and as powerful as Exodus. The novel ‘Beloved’ is indeed a towering achievement of the American writer, Toni Morrison, filled with suspense as tight as a rope and with bitter poetry.
Synopsis : The novel ‘Beloved’ is inspired by the life of an African American, named Margaret Garner who in late January 1856 escaped slavery in Kentucky. The protagonist, named Sethe was born as a slave, escapes and crosses the Ohio River to Ohio, a free state. She is not still free even after eighteen years later. She preserves a lot of memories about the beautiful far where a number of hideous things occurred and she also remembers Sweet Home. Her baby had died even before it was named. The ghost of her baby now haunts, Sethe’s new house. The baby’s tomb was engraved with just one word ‘Beloved’.
The spellbinding novel, winner of the Pulitzer Prize is a dazzlingly innovative portrait of a woman whose past haunts her. Even after she has borne the worst, she still has not gone insane but her memories still hold her captive. The destructive and angry ghost of her baby has since long been the cause of trouble in Sethe’s house. When, Beloved, a mysterious girl arrives on the scene, the terrible secret of Sethe, burst into the present. Beloved is one of the most enduring and greatest works of literature in America.
Other works by the Author :
1970 – The Bluest Eye
1973 – Sula
1977 – Song of Solomon
1981 – Tar Baby
1992 – Jazz
1997 – Paradise
2003 – Love
2008 – A Mercy
2012 – Home
2015 – God Help the Child