Essay About Major Conflict And Main Theme

Beloved
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Title: Beloved
Author: Toni Morrison
Genre: Historical Fiction
Conflict/Plot
The major conflict in this story occurs when Sethe escapes from slavery.
She kills her daughter “Beloved,” because she wants to keep her from being
taken back to the South by her old master. A mysterious figure then keeps
showing up at Seths home. This mysterious figure is her oldest daughter. She
comes back to haunt her mother and her household because she is angry over
what has happened to her. Another conflict in the story is how Sethe is trying
to be a stable mother for her four children under the system of slavery, which
defines her and her children as property.
The resolution to the problems are when Sethe comes to terms with past.
She defeats her antagonist. At a point in the story, she is relieved that “Beloved”
finally stops haunting her. Her community also reaches out to help her.
Setting
The setting of “Beloved” takes place in Cincinnati, Ohio. The book also
flashbacks to Sweet Home plantation in Kentucky and the prison in Alfred,
Georgia. The time happened in 1873 after the Civil war with frequent flashbacks
to the early 1850s. Most of the action takes place in 124 Bluestone Rd., the
address of a gray and white house outside Cincinnati, Ohio.
Characters
The protagonist of the story is Sethe. She suffers from the many crimes
that is inflicted upon her as well as the crimes she has put on her own self. She
kills her oldest daugher and wants to kill her other children because she would
rather be with them “on the other side” than allow them to go through the same
things she has went through.
The antagonist of the story is Sethes antagonist which is the system of
slavery, which causes her pain. She does not really know how to care for her
children, but she is determined to do her her best and to make sure that slavery
doesnt get the best of her children like it did to her. She actually tries to kill all
her four children but only succeeds in killing her oldest daughter.
Themes
The main theme of “Beloved” is confronting the past in order to heal the
wounds it has caused. The main characters are all haunted by the traumatism
of racism and slavery. Throughout the novel, the characters work hard to avoid
the past because it it filled with pain and horror for them. Sethe, in particular
shows the tendency to repress the past, but she cannot enjoy the future, until
she faces the past.
Another theme present in