Dehumanization In Toni Morrison's Beloved

In Toni Morrison’s Beloved the history of African American slavery is demonstrated

through the lives of the slaves working on Sweet Home. The slaves experience violence,

brutality and numerous other disparities Firstly the concept of dehumanization is portrayed by

denying the slaves the basic human right to choose sexual partner for physical, emotional, and

reproductive reasons, they are denied the ability to develop on a psychosocial level to achieve an

understanding of their own identity. Additionally the acceptance of this dehumanization

eventually tends to their self-awareness as those without a human identity. Lastly the author

demonstrates the dehumanization of the slaves as they are reduced to an animal like status.

Firstly dehumanization is described in Morrison’s novel by explaining that the Men and

women are categorized by their relation to one another; men's masculinity and women's

femininity is based on who describes it and, in the case of the characters in Beloved, it is defined

by the slave owners, this is an addition of the cultural trauma produced by slavery. The slaves are

told what they are and what they are good for and since they have no choice but to do what they are told the slaves lose a sense of themselves. Since they are denied mature adult relationships,

their psychosocial development is delayed and their capacity to understand themselves in relation

to one another and society is inhibited. This is an extension of the cultural trauma produced by

slavery because, by denying the basic human right to choose sexual partner they are denied

the ability to develop on a psychosocial level to achieve an understanding of their own identity.

Identity is described as the state of having unique identifying characteristics held by no other

person or thing. This is not the case for the slaves at Sweet Home, the slaves are all treated