The Beloved Discussion Highlights

Donnelly Library had its first meeting of the Pulitzer Prizes Reading Group on Thursday, September 1, 2016 when we got together to discuss Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Discussion was lively and focused on many different themes. One of the most animated parts of the discussion was whether or not Beloved was a ghost. Reading group participants had different points of view on this issue. Some reading group participants thought she was a ghost, others not, and still others said that they had never thought about the reality of the ghost in the novel. The discussion of the ghost connected with an interesting discussion of how America is haunted by its history of slavery and how Morrison was able to vividly portray the horrors of slavery and its aftermath.

Trauma and recovery was another major topic of discussion. Reading group participants talked about how the characters in Morrison’s novel dealt in different ways with the trauma of their pasts and how they were (and weren’t) able to recover.

The theme of the relationships between mothers and daughters was talked about focusing on the relationship between Sethe and Denver and Sethe and Beloved. The constant presence of past trauma certainly affects the relationships between the generations. Group participants said they felt hopeful for Denver’s future by the end of the novel.

  

Participants also discussed with Dr. Brandon Kempner how the novel fit within the history of American literature, novels about slavery, and Toni Morrison’s place in the canon.

What did you find most interesting about the first meeting’s discussion or about the novel? Please post in the comments below.

First Meeting of the Readng Group