Novel Essay #1

"…Under every dark skin was a jungle. Swift unnavigable waters, swinging screaming baboons, sleeping snakes, red gums ready for their sweet white blood. In a way . . . they were right. . . . But it wasn’t the jungle blacks brought with them to this place. . . . It was the jungle whitefolks planted in them." In the book "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, many former slaves struggle to understand who they are and where their life is heading. It was 1873, the effects of the Civil War still lingered and African Americans still had a disadvantage in places like Cincinnati Ohio, the main ground of this book. Even though slavery was abolished, racism never ceased. Many former slaves had to go through day by day, suffering from unfair treatment from their community. Because of forced isolation and little communication between the clashing cultures, many characters show independence and strength, a positive attribute. Even so, it was from this unapproval of lifestyle where memories of a mournful past and displays a darker side to humanity arose.

The book starts with a strong independent person named Sethe. The only problem is that she is looked down upon as a former slave and African American. This shows that even years after the Civil War, specifically in 1873, racism had not paused to take a second glance. Many people in the south still view skin color as an issue. In a similar themed story titled "Dying for Dixie", southerns were still in contempt. They had used the murder case of Michael Westerman to attack, not only the suspects of the murder, but every black american. The idea that southerners had was that African Americans was a "subhuman", not to a level of equal. Because of this interpretation, there is no other environment to grow up in except the one which lead them believe they aren't as good as everyone else.

Many black americans in the south, much like Sethe, have been forced into isolation because of how the majority of people who show neglect and refuse to "surrender" to equality. Throughout this book there is evidence showing this isolation. Denver, Sethe's daughter, displayed a stun in emotional growth. She had no connection with the world beyond and feared that the community wouldn't accept her. This was only until another girl named Beloved entered her life and challenged her to overcome her fear. As you can see from these events and characteristics, isolation from a community can cause immense effects on a person's mental and physical state. Growing up in an environment where no one accepts you because you're different is a situation that many people do not know how to deal with and sometimes results in mental instability, insanity, or overall a difficult past. Like in this book, racism is a huge example of what separates a society. There is still acts of discrimination - groups like the KKK still exist.

On the flip side, this book shows positive attributes like independence. Independence and pride were two key characteristics to the main character Sethe. She constantly displays her strive for independence when she rejects offers of support from other people. Despite her brutal memories of being a slave and lost children, she is strong and attempted to deal with her inner feelings herself. Due to situations like Sethe's, many people have gained and emotional independence. To push back on the strength of an unfair society, people have chosen to try and keep themselves as tough and level headed. This is important because it brings to light how people are trying to handle the situation and what characteristic can sprout from a biased society.

Many aspects of this book points to the ideas that slavery, in general, has many emotional effects. As I was reading it, it escalated to different ideas for me. There was the obvious problem of a racist environment, but it was written in a way where there was a little of both cause and effect. Because of an unequal society, black americans grew up being told they were lower then everyone else. This cause drastically made a difference, it took away the identity of someone else. This shows a dark side to humanity. A human created problem has taken away another human's being, forcing them to become independent or suffer from the feeling of isolation. This uncovers the idea that the main cause of human suffering and distress can trace back to the actions of another human. Some of humanity may move forward, but many are left behind.