The Narrative Voice of Slavery

Toni Morrison prevents the alienation of her characters and the deterioration of the self, due to the physical and emotional trauma of their experiences of slavery. 

Toni Morrison’s novel ‘Beloved’ can be described as a modern interpretation of the gothic novel due to its horror and mystical aspects within the narrative. Morrison is retelling a part of American history that is sensitive and still a controversial topic. One could argue, that through the novel, Morrison is granting a narrative voice to those who were enslaved, by rewriting an element of history to portray an idea of how life for African Americans in the 1800s. The repetition of “It was a story not to pass on.” (322) in the closing pages of the novel creates the notion that Slavery itself is the story not to pass on,  almost as if the events of the novel are to be repressed and left in the past. However, the novels very existence implies that this is a story that needs to be told and the repetition of this contradicting phrase reinforces that the horrors of this story is not one to pass on for joy, but to remember and to respect.

Returning back to the narrative voice, Morrison grants the female characters of the novel a narrative voice that they otherwise would have been denied. She  does not sugar coat the harsh reality of slavery in the 1800s, but constantly reminds of us of how African Americans were treated, especially women with imagery of rape, beatings, the stealing of breast milk and death.  ““They used a cowhide on you?”  “And they took my milk.” “They beat you and you was pregnant?” “and they took my milk!”” (20) When first reading this particular extract in the earlier classes, I found this particularly eye opening.  The images of violence and beating are not seen to be as shocking as the very fact that Sethe had her breast milk stolen. Morrison, is creating the image of a woman being completely stripped from her motherly duties and rights by being unable to care for her baby in the most natural way. In many ways, this is more effective than the images of violence and rape as it has dehumanized and enslaved Sethe not only within society but in her body.