A Cultural Study Of Toni Morrison’s Beloved

Afro-American writers have made great contributions to American literature in the twentieth century. Afro-American literature became increasingly an indispensable part of American literature and culture, which is still on its way from margin to center. Some important works have expressed their special attention on black people’s consciousness and their sufferings, not only physically but also mentally during and after the slavery period. Toni Morrison as the only black woman writer winner of the Nobel Prize made great contributions to the black literature of contemporary literature, black literature. Her works are mainly about the black people, especially the black women, not only depicting the real living conditions of African Americans, concerning about the fates and mental world of the blacks but also devoting to carrying on and promoting national culture---black culture.Her fifth novel, Beloved, is regarded by many critics as her best work, which perfectly combines the profound thinking and artistic writing. It has been also considered to be a milestone in American literary history. Since the publication in1987, Beloved has been analyzed by numerous critical approaches.The author of this thesis attempts to analyze African blacks’cultural dilemma and selection in Beloved from the perspective of culture. The thesis can be divided into five parts. Chapter one offers a brief overview of Toni Morrison’s literary career and critical review on Beloved. The introduction of cultural studies provides theoretical background for the following study, which focuses on the study of African American Literature. Chapter two illustrates the multiple oppressions African Americans suffered under the slavery. Due to the influence and oppression of the white-dominating culture, Afo-Americans and their culture are faced with distortion and threat. All the Afo-American characters in her works live in an abandoned society full of racialism, sexism and totally opposite cultural value. Chapter three discusses the lasting resistance of the black characters against the suppression from the dominant groups. It includes the pursuit of their own identities, the struggle against the existing spiritual bondage and efforts to reconstruct the black ethical culture. According to Toni Morrison, she elaborately uses the traditional forms, such as songs and sermons in order to build close connections between African-American and national culture, thus helping the African Americans form healthy identities. Chapter four further points out Toni Morrison’s cultural perspective in this novel. The reconstruction of the national culture can be achieved not only through the individual efforts, but also through the close unity of the black community, as well as the help from different gender and race. Chapter five reiterates the content discussed in the preceding chapters. By analyzing Toni Morrison’s Beloved, the thesis aims at exploring the theme from a new perspective and highlighting the promotion the reconstruction of black ethnic culture among all Afro-Americans. Therefore, the author maintains that Beloved is also an inspiring example for us Chinese as how to maintain our cultural heritage and select appropriate attitude with the impact of globalization.