Slavery and The Burden of Motherhood in Toni Morrisons Beloved
Authors-Assistant Professor Ms.K.Vaisnavi, Ms. Ancilin Fernando, Ms. M. Manoranjani, Ms. Shreeja Shreekumar Pillai
Keyword-Slavery, Motherhood, Dehumanization, Memory, Trauma, Freedom, Identity, Infanticide, Survival, Racisim, Love and Protection, Oppression, Resistance, Black Commuty
Toni Morrison, a revolutionary figure in Afro-American literature, has played a significant role in creating an African-American narrative by focusing solely on the dreadful situations of her race in America's white-dominated society. This paper focuses on her critically acclaimed novel Beloved, which delves deeply into the tragic fate of slaves, particularly slave mothers, and the traumas that slavery brought to motherhood, describing it through the primary characters of Sethe, Paul D, Baby Suggs, and Beloved. Slavery has been traditionally widespread in Africa and still continues today in some countries. Many African-Americans still hold a good deal of resentment toward white people because of the torture of their ancestors, who were slaves, suf-fered, and were humiliated. This study gives an understanding of how crucial being a mother is, but it also offers a glimpse into the world where mothers go through immense agony, suffering, and sexual exploitation to protect their children from the same fate, even if it might not have been ethically acceptable.