On-Beloved.doc

On Beloved

　　【Abstract】As a famous American black female writer, Toni Morrison hadgreat contribution to and had profound impact on American literary world. For the sake of facilitating more people to know and study Toni Morrison, this paper gives some individual points on her masterpiece Beloved, which includes understanding of racism, thinking of slavery and moral ambiguity.
　　【Key Words】racism slave moral standard

　　Ⅰ Introduction to Beloved
　　Toni Morrison is the novelist who won the Nobel Prize,and her work Beloved brought great reputation for her. It tells the story of a baby who was killed by her mother, Sethe, and the baby, Beloved, tried to revenge and gain her mother's love again.
　　Ⅱ Historical Background and inspiration of Beloved
　　Beloved was inspired by the true story of a black American slave woman, Margaret Garner. Historical background of that period is like this, fugitive Slave Act stated that, since slaves were property, and ownership of property extended across state lines, owners were within their rights to cross state lines to retrieve their runaway slaves. Further, law enforcement officers were charged with the public trust to protect person and property and were, therefore, held to be responsible for the capture and return of slaves to their owners. Free state or slave state, no state was safe for slaves from capture and re-enslavement anymore。
　　Ⅲ Thoughts on Beloved
　　3.1 Unfair World: Race and Slavery
　　In Beloved, the issue of race and effects of slavery should be paid the most attention to. Much of the novel focuses on a community of ex-slaves and how they manage to get on track with their lives. The novel questions, through the eyes of schoolteacher, what the difference is between a man and an animal. In its vivid portrayal of the Negro community, complete with their desires and troubles, the novel shows that a colored man is like any other man. The novel also addresses the concern of whether it is better to endure the injustices of an unfeeling people or to fight against them. Slavery is not just an institution; it is a philosophy and mindset which is far-reaching in its consequences. The Garners treated their slaves well, and consequently were respected by such people as Sethe and Paul D. However, as Paul D later comes to realize that everything rested on Garner being alive. Without his life each of theirs fell to pieces. Though treated nicely, the Negroes on Sweet Home were little more than toys to be manipulated by the Garners. No matter how nice the slave owner treated the slaves, the essence is based on the exploit to the black people. With such images, Morrison demonstrates the extent of slavery and what must be done to abolish it completely.
　　3.2 What is Moral Standard
　　Moral ambiguity, of course, plays a large role in the novel. The question of "Was the murder right or wrong?" crops up many times in the book. The answer finally reached is that it was the right thing to do, but Sethe didn't have the right to do it. Had she not murdered Beloved, she and all the children would have been sold back into slavery. Yet, when she committed the murder, she was shunned by an entire community. People in modern times have different opinions, so do people in the novel. Sethe was regret about the event, but Paul D didn't think so. For the most important figure Beloved, she can not understand the murder. So maybe she didn't think the murder was right and she haunted in the room 124 and tortured Sethe to express her depression.
　　Ⅳ Pursuit of Freedom
　　what does freedom mean?. Was Baby Suggs truly free, when white men were allowed to barge into her yard at any time? Was Paul D free, though he wasn't allowed to love whatever he wanted to love? Were any of the Negroes truly free, who had to wait at the back of the supermarket for the whites to be served before they could get their groceries? Freedom, Morrison points out, is more than a matter of not belonging to a single master. Especially for Beloved, what is free for her? Living in the world or being sentenced to death by her own mother? Her mother chose a way for her, which she thought can gave freedom to Beloved without the press of being controlled by the white; but maybe that was not what Beloved wanted.

　　参考文献：
　　[1] （美）托妮• 莫里森（Toni Morrison）.宠儿（Beloved）.上海：外语教学与研究出版社, 2002.
　　[2]郑克鲁.20世纪外国文学史.上海：复旦大学出版社，2007.
　　[3]徐颖译.哈佛蓝星双语名著导读:宠儿.天津：天津科技翻译出版公司，2003.