Beloved epitomizes artistic creation at its finest; Toni Morrison crafted a brilliant piece fueled by the lived experiences of enslaved people’s descendants in America and informed by the temporal proximity of the ratification of thirteenth amendment. The summary outlined above fails to capture the impact of the work’s nonlinear form, both in time and perspective. Flashbacks are seamlessly interwoven into the driving plot; not only are the past and present difficult to distinguish from each other, but this intermingling also elevates the past in status compared to the present, allowing the past to rival, and often exceed, the present in narrative importance. Time becomes a character in its own right, one whose primary end is the marring of other characters’ physical beings. Through this lens, the recapitulation of Sethe’s tree scars mirrors the historical impact of slavery on the modern-day United States. Morrison’s knowledge regarding the historical context and speaking patterns of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras is impressive. This context is further validated by the work’s inspiration—the life of Margaret Garner—which is addressed in certain editions through an introduction by the author.

Toni Morrison’s mastery of figurative language builds upon the nonlinearity of the piece. Her writing prowess is powerfully displayed through allegories, the most notable of which is found on pages 248-252. Through Beloved’s perspective, Morrison establishes a connection between hell and slave ships by using language that distorts their status as separate entities. This is further extended within the same section of the novel to remove the audience’s understanding of Beloved, Sethe, and Denver as being separate, varying their perspectives to create a mélange of emotion and perception.                 

The relevance of this piece to contemporary American politics and social issues is simultaneously profound and disturbing. Our history as Americans has been tainted by naysayers of the experiences of people of color, particularly those of Black/African-Americans; this novel exists as a cornerstone in establishing context for those that refuse accountability for the United States’ history of racial oppression, a history to which they directly and/or indirectly contributed and continue to contribute. The magical realism of the piece provides new dimension to a historical narrative, allowing for greater imaginative accessibility to the meaning behind its story. If no other image sticks with readers, let the following narrative fact from the biblically paralleled coming of the four horseman to “reclaim” Sethe make an impact: it is the responsibility of the sheriff both to reinforce the dehumanization of Sethe and to deal with her perceived cultural, psychological, and racial aberrancy through punishment sans reformation.