Significance of the Research1.docx

Significance of the Research1.docx

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SignificanceoftheResearch1

1.1SignificanceoftheResearch

ThisthesisanalyzesToniMorrison’snovelBeloved,inwhichtheblackwomanSethekillsherdaughterbysawingherheadwithahandsaw,andforthisreasonyearslaterthelittleghostcomesbacktorevengeSethe.

Inrecentyears,scholarshaveconcentratedonanalyzingBeloved’sliteraryfeatures,themesanditscontents.Everygenerationhasitsownunderstandingaboutthenovelanditsvalue.ThisthesisfocusesonillustratingSethe’sresentmentsagainstslavery.Toalargeextent,blackwomen’spsychology,humannatureandmaternallovearedistortedbecauseofthelong-termpersecutionofslavery,suchasSethe,whoevenkillsherdaughter.ThisthesisisdiggingoutthedifferentformandexpressionofmaternalloveinthenovelBelovedbycomparingitwithnormalmaternallove.Undertheoppressionofcruelslaveryandotherfactorsarousedbyit,blackwomenhavenochoicebuttodosomethingseemingcruel.

1.2OrganizationofthePaper

Thisthesismainlyanalyzestheprotagonist’sabnormalmaternalloveanditsreasons.Afteranoverallintroduction,Iwillbrieflypresentstudiesofthisnovelbyscholarscomingfromhomeandabroad.ThemainpartfocusesonthemotherhoodoftheblackwomanSethe,especiallystatingthereasonsofSethe’sabnormalmaternallove,includingthecrueltyofslavery,lackingofmaternalloveinherchildhoodandSchoolteacher’soppression.Atlast,aconclusionwillbegiventoterminatethethesis.

Chapter2LiteratureReview

ToniMorrison（1931-）isoneofthemostfamouscontemporaryblackwriters.Morrisonpaysgreatattentiontoblackpeopleandhaswrittenaseriesofnovelsconcerningblackpeople’smiserablefate.ToniMorrison’snovelsarefamousfor vividdialogue,special themesandtypicalcharacters.Inhernovels,Morrisonprofoundlyexplorestheinnerworldofblackpeople,includinglove,race,religiousbelief,alienation,friendship,andbetrayal,sex,andevensupernatural,especiallyAfricanAmericanwomen’sprivilegedandsensitiveobservation.Inhernovels,sheshowspeople,language,andsocietyconceptsofvalue,places,politics,andculturaltraditionsthathaveinfluencedAfricanAmericanpeopleaswellasherself.

In1993,MorrisonwonNobelPrizeforLiterature.AsthefirstAfricanAmericanwhoreachedthehonor,shehasgainedreputationallovertheworldandhasbeenfamousasoneofthemajorfiguresinAmericannationalliterature.

Belovedispublishedin1987andisviewedasMorrison’sbestnovel.TheheroineofthisnovelisSethe,whofledfromtheSweetHome----theplantationinKentucky.WhileapossearrivesinOhioandtriestocaptureherback,shekillsherdaughterandtriestokilltheotherthreechildren.Filledwithsuspenseandbitterpoetry,Belovedisanextraordinaryachievement.Glaringattheabyssofslavery,thisexcellentnovelportrayshistoryintheformofastory,whichisasmeaningfulasExodusandassmoothasalullaby.

Afterpublishing,thisnovelhasgainedacriticalsuccess.Itwonthe manyprizes.Moreover,it hasbeenadaptedintofilmin1998.Nowadays,theliteraryworldstillhasahighpraiseforthisnovel,forexample,ChicagoSun-TimeonceregardedBelovedasToniMorrison’sbestworkandthatthisnovelexcellentlydisplaysherprodigious.LosAngelesTimesconsidered“itisevendeemedtobesuchamasterworkthatIcan’timagineAmericanliteraturecanwithoutit”.

However,therestillaresomecontroversialaboutthenovel.Ontheonehand,criticsconsideritismelodramaticevenself-indulgenttosomeextent.Ontheotherhand,admirersofthenovelsaythesecriticismsfailtoappreciateMorrison’simaginativerisksarenecessitatedinhermagnitudetopic.Basedonsomuchargumentation,scholarsfromhomeandabroadareincreasinglymore.Consequently,Iwouldliketoillustrateafewofthemasfollows.

Tobeginwith,domesticscholarsalsoattachmuchattentiontothisnovel.QiJixiang,aninstructorinHebeiForeignLanguageProfessionalSchool,publishedanarticleontheinterpretationofBeloved’sidentity.XieJuan’sMemory,StorytellingandSurvivalinBelovedfocusesondiscussingthebatteredsurvivorsofslaveryandtheiroffspringwhogrowupintheshadow.AnotherChinesescholar,JiangJiuhongstudiesthecontradictionbetweenmaternalloveandself-constructionaswellastheLacanianpsychoanalysisofBeloved.BasedonLacan’stheoryofthree-dimensionalworld,sheanalyzedthepsychologicalactivitiesofSethewhenshekilledherchildandhowdidSetheovercomeherpsychogenicdisorder.WangXiaogangandHuangZheninterpretedthemultipleidentitiesofBelovedandclaimedthatthediversityandopennessofBeloved’sidentitywasnaturallyshowedundertheinfluenceofpostmodernism.

Whenitcomestooverseasscholars,studiesonthenovelaremorediversified.TakeTaddRuetenik,aninstructorinphilosophyatPennsylvaniaStateUniversity,forinstance,wroteathesisnamedAnimalLiberationorHumanRedemption:

RacismandSpecialisminToniMorrison’sBeloved.Heabstracted:

ToniMorrison'sBelovedisamorallysophisticatedslavenarrativethat（amongmanyotherthings）dealswiththetopicofracisminAmericanhistoricalconsciousness.Italsoimplicitlyaddressestheissueofspecialism.Morrison’snovelisapoignantexampleofhumanmeliorism,andyetisalsoausefulillustrationofhowtheissueofhumanwell-beingcannotbecleanlyseparatedfromconsiderationofanimalexploitation.Tobesure,Beloveddoeslittletopromotetheinterestsofexploitedanimals,focusinginsteadonexploitedhumans.Morrison’smasterpieceseemstojustifyanimalexploitationasaconditionfortheliberationofhumanslaves（22）.

Besides,LarsEckstein’sAlovesupreme:

jazz-theticstrategiesinToniMorrison'sBelovedpaysattentiontotheimportanceofmusic,notonlyconcerningBeloved,butalsowithregardtothepredicamentofblackDiaspora.Ecksteinsaid:

“WithregardtoBelovedinparticular,hermusicalscopehasreceivedlittlecriticalattention.WhileMorrison’ssubsequentnovelJazzhasbeenacknowledgedandpraisedforitsuseofmusicaltechnique,Belovedhasrarelybeenreadundersimilarpremises（Eckstein2006）.”

Chapter3AnalysisofMaternalLove

3.1MaternalLoveinCommonSense

Loveisnottobeconstrainedinthearidnessandsimplicityofbiology,butistobeleftfloatingdelicateandinnocentofanymaterialreality.Therelationshipbetweenamotherandherchildisdifferentfromotherhumanbeings’relationshipsbecauseamother’sloveforherchildisirreplaceable.Thisisreferredtobethewonderofmaternallove.Althoughitcannotbedefinedorexplained,itisuniversallyregardedasoneofthestrongestandgreatestformsoflovethatexistingallovertheworld.Itisproventobethestrongestformoflovebecauseofthefactthatitisthefirstkindoflovethateveryoneexperienceafterheisborn.Thelevelsofmaternallovemaybedifferentfromonetoanother.Maternalloveistheprimaryandvisibleloveintheworld.Itisholyandistheearliestlovecreatedbyprogression.

Mother-childrenrelationshipisdevoutanditisaspecialpartinmotherlylove.Itflowsnaturallybetweenmotherandchildrenandthereisnotanyintentioninmaternallove.Mother’sfeelingsarehonestandgenerous.Maternalloveteachesbabiestobestrongandpreparesthemthenecessaryabilitiestosurviveinthemaliciousandcomplicatedworld.Maternallovealwaysinspireschildrentobeexcellentindoingtheirtask.Inaword,mother’sloveisinvaluable.

Inafamily,therelationshipbetweenmotherandchildrenismostimportantbecausetherelationshipbetweenmotherandchildrenhascrucialandsignificantinfluencesinthewholelifeofchildren.Onlywithenoughmaternallove,canchildrenbeabletogrowupstrongly.Itisproventhatifchildrencannotbeprovidedwithenoughloveintheinitialstages,theywillendupbeingweakerwhenattemptingtomakeitintheharshworld.Themother-childrenbonddevelopsassoonasthemotherbecomesimpregnated.

Accordingtoscientificstudy,therudimentofchildren’spersonalityhasbeenformedwhentheyarefiveyearsold.Howthemotherfostersandtreatschildrenwilldeeplyaffecttheformofchildren’spersonality.Toeachinfant,motheristhepersonwhoisnotonlytheprimaryemotionalattachmentbutalsotheteacherofculturalattitudesandconceptsofvalue.（Sharp2003:

25）.

Motherhoodisapermanentthemeintheliteraryworldatanytimesandanyplaces.Asweallknow,almosteverymothertendstoimpartallofherlovetoherchildren.Motherisfullofloveanddevotionandeverymothercanhavethepatienceofsaints.Motherwishisherchildrencangrowhealthilyandhappily.Agreatnumberofmothershavefosteredamaternalawareness,thatis,theywouldliketodevotethemselvestotheirchildrenwithallrespect. Nevertheless,inBeloved,therepresentationofprotagonist’smaternallovetoherchildrenisdifferentandmonstrous.

3.2Sethe’sExtremeLovetoHerChildren

ThebabyBeloved,notmorethantwoyearsold,waskilledwiththeheadsawedoffbyherownmotherusingahandsaw.Inthisnovel,Sethe’smaternalloveisso“thick”thatshekillsherdaughteranddestroysherself.Theincarnationofherdaughterseemstotestifystrengthofmaternalloveandthenecessityofpassingonmother’sstoriesofloveandresistance.AstheonlyfemaleslaveinSweetHome,SethehasbeentornnotonlyfromtheSchoolteacher’srecordofheranimal-liketraits,suchashispupils’milkingandhiswiping,butalsotornfromherowninfanticideofBeloved.Shekillsherinfantdaughtersoastopreventherfrombeingdefinedasraciallyinferiorandanimalisticwhe