Connections between two people or two groups of people inspire unity. As unity is inspired, passions are empowered to become powerful actions. When actions occur, reform is created, but if there are limited connections things don’t happen. As I’ve read the book Beloved, I have struggled to form connections between the main characters. So far, I have not had major empathy towards the actions of the characters and of the author Toni Morrison. This lack of connections comes from a number of barriers including the barrier of religion, experience, race, and political viewpoints.
Race, being the largest barrier that I have encountered, has created a sense of disconnection from the characters. Being that I am a caucasian from a rural community, there is little diversity in my location. By not seeing the racial struggle of a colored person on a daily basis I am disconnected from the struggles of a different race during my time period. This disconnection is escalated as the story takes place in the 1850’s, a time period that I have little education about. I know little about the extremely personal experiences endured by African Americans as a group during this time period besides the well known struggle of slavery. Morrison shows the thoughts of African Americans towards whites when she writes “In this here place, we flesh; flesh that weeps, laughs; flesh that dances on bare feet in grass. [...] they (whites) despise it. Those white things have taken all i had or dreamed. And broke my heartstrings too. There is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks.” (p. 103-105) Morrison is describing the hatred between the two races. She begins to look at the influences and desires of a caucasian from the perspective of a slave; something that I will most likely never experience.
Experience is a key factor to empathizing over anything. When a situation is relatable, a connection is more powerful. If one can share a very similar experience, similar conclusions and solutions can be drawn. Morrison discusses the political struggle of a minority citizen during an interview with Time Inc. During this interview, she suggests “One black person is all black people.” The interviewer then asks “But sometimes whites feel that all white people are being similarly equated” Morrison replies “Black people have always known that. We’ve had to distinguish among you because our lives depended on it. I’m always annoyed about why black people have to bear the brunt of everyone else’s contempt.” Although Morrison discusses an extremely relevant point about the influence to society of one black person that she relates back to extremely well in Beloved, it is hard to find a connection between this experience and the experience of a caucasian. I disagree with her statement in today’s circumstances as we look at current politics. Although there is a lesser amount of minority representatives compared to caucasians in our government today, each representative represents their class/group when they speak. Recognizing that each person’s individual actions are reflections on their race exists today but personally, I don’t believe it is at the extent that Morrison describes it to be. Yet again, the feelings that a colored person holds towards society is a personal disconnection between my experience as a caucasian to that of a colored slave in the 1850’s and of a colored American today.
Morrison speaks for her own personal beliefs in Beloved as well as in her interview with Time Inc.. As she attempts to reflect the beliefs of other colored individuals into her own thinking, there are definitely disconnections between her experiences and the experiences of a colored slave and even the experiences of another colored person. One of these differences is found directly in her book and a court case in 1856. During this time, families were killing their children to save them from a life of slavery and discrimination. Morrison justifies the women’s actions throughout the book Beloved when she writes “Two boys bled in the sawdust and dirt at the feet of a nigger woman holding a blood-soaked child to her chest with one hand and an infant by the heels in the other. She did not look at them; she simply swung the baby toward the wall planks.” Then a sheriff came to eventually have her serve two years of jail time. Morrison makes it clear that the mother killed her children for the best intentions very subtly as she suggests that it was common for a mother to kill her children. She represents this because both Baby Suggs and Sethe (two mothers) killed/attempted to kill each of their children without regret.
The true reporting of this situation was not so lenient in the favor of the mother. Instead, the acceptance of family murders were not so unanimous. In the article published by The Cincinnati Enquirer in 1856, a consensus was not made by the general public. This article instead suggests “The Abolitionists regard the parents of the murdered child as a hero and heroine teeming with lofty and holy emotions who would rather imbue their hands in the blood of their offspring and allow them to wear the shackles of slavery, while others look upon them as brutal and unnatural murderers.” Because I was unable to experience the same emotions and circumstances of the parents who killed their children, I have no way to morally determine whether or not the parents actions were justified.
Beloved follows a group so extremely different than myself that it is hard to find important connections that support a convergence of ideas. As I have continued to read, I have found that I am disconnected through race, ethics, and experience. By not experiencing or knowing somebody personally that has experienced extreme discrimination or slavery itself, I have found it hard to relate to the characters and the storyline on a personal level. Due to this disconnection and lack of previous knowledge, I do not believe it is at my discrepancy to evaluate the actions of the characters and the story as a whole at this point in time.
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