Parallel Themes Found in Beloved
While Beloved obviously revolves around issues of Race, there are some other themes that, whether intended by the author or not, play some part in developing the story. In this section, we have listed some of the sources of conflict that play a role in the development of the overall plot. One additional source of conflict in this story has to do with the difference in Gender between some of the main characters. Also, Family relationships play a very large part in the development of the plot line. And finally, for the sake of entertainment, we have included a section on Supernatural influences used by Toni Morrison.
Racial issues are without a doubt one of the main issues in Beloved. The whole story revolves around the life of a former slave and her attempts to get on with her life as best she can considering what the white slave owners have put her through. However, the racial issues in this story are not unlike those read about in other stories and historical writings. All of the cruelties and abuses of the slaves by the slave owners in this story are probably even conservative compared to what actually occurred in many cases. It is for this reason that we question whether this book is about the life of an ex-slave or about something else more fundamental.
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The fact that three of the four main characters are female causes one to question whether Beloved is a story about black's issues or women's issues. Is Toni Morrison telling the story of a woman's or an ex-slave's life? While there is no doubting that slavery and all its ugliness is the cause of Sethe being in the situation she is, one cannot dismiss the fact that much of what is actually occurring in the story has to do with the relationship between a single mother, her daughter, and a female stranger (Beloved) who has entered their lives. Sethe's relationship to Paul D. seems only to provide a source of neutrality or contrast for the overall focus of the story line. (i.e. the interactions of Sethe, Denver, and Beloved.)
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Also at issue in this story is the relationship between a single mother and her troubled children. Again, aside from the fact that Sethe is an ex-slave, there are some real fundamental family problems presented in this story that transcend all families and all time periods. Two of Sethe's children have run away from home due to the fear of their mother. A third child is forced to live in the dictionary definition of a dysfunctional family. And not only must all of the family members deal with the fragile relationships among themselves, but they must also try to deal with an unforgiving and unsympathetic neighborhood.
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What significance does the ghost of Sethe's dead baby play in this story? Are the references to this ghost simply just symbolic of the way the family deals with its death and the resulting horror that remains in their memories? Or does anyone who enters the house on Bluestone Road actually witness the presence of paranormal activities?
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