빌러비드를 통한 흑인여성 정체성 연구

Abstract

This paper aims to study how black women, Sethe and Denver, come to face their hidden past and recover their identities in Beloved. Since the 1970s, Afro-American writers have made efforts to manifest their voices through their works. Among them, especially Toni Morrison is interested in Afro-Americans' history, which has been distorted and neglected, and has dealt with Afro-Americans' identities based on their history and culture. In Beloved, the fifth novel, Morrison uncovers the hidden stories from the past and examines Sethe and Denver's process of healing of identity. To recover their identities, Morrison creates the device of 'rememory'. She emphasizes that Afro-Americans' history could be revealed through the rememory, so that they could recover their history and identities. The function of rememory of the past is a very important issue that can help Afro-American obtain their freedom and overcome their pain. To enhance the world of Beloved with a supernatural dimension, Morrison calls out Beloved and gives the embodied spirit of Sethe's dead daughter. As a symbol of the unforgettable painful past, Beloved plays an important role to the individual and community. She makes Sethe confront the past without any resistance and evoke the painful memories of the past, leading her to recognize who she is. Beloved makes Denver join the community and restores her identity. Sethe, who is Denver's mother, has isolated herself from all society since she killed her daughter to escape slavery. After killing her daughter, Sethe avoids confronting the past and present, so she is lonely and alienated from the community. But Beloved helps Sethe break the silence and come to tell her unspeakable past. And due to Paul D, she begins to realize what is precious is herself. Denver is a symbol of the union of black and white, self and other, and past and present. Denver is also isolated from the world by her mother, who told Denver her birth story. That's why she is immature. After Beloved appears, Denver feels an intense dependence on Beloved, but Beloved's actions, which are malevolent and self-centered, alert Denver to the dangers of the past Beloved represents. And she begins to understand why her mother killed her daughter and feels motherhood because of Beloved. Finally, Denver goes to the community to ask for help, joins the community and establishes her identity. In conclusion, Morrison suggests that Afro-Americans should face their painful past through rememory to recover their identities and share their pain with the community in Beloved.