Essay Database

Beloved Elements of the supernatural pervade Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved. These elements include evidence of African-American folklore and tradition in the everyday lives of the inhabitants of 124 Bluestone Road. Beloved's character is another obvious use of the supernatural: she is a ghost for part of the novel and a "ghost-in-the-flesh" for the major part of the book. In Beloved, Morrison extracts African folklore from history in order to enrich the authenticity of an account of …

…herself together. She dreads the day (implied as being inevitable) when "pieces of her would drop maybe one at a time, maybe all at once" (133). Mysticism and magic saturate Beloved. The roots of these elements come from experiences during slavery, which in turn, take their meanings from African culture. In the novel, examples of this influence can be found in medicine, religion, and superstition. Mysticism and magic are furthermore exemplified by the character of Beloved.