Getting Away From The Shadow Of The Past:The Loss And Regaining Of Home For Afro-Americans In Beloved

This thesis will probe into the process of how the colored people in Beloved get away from the shadow of the past through the analysis of the domestic spaces and the spaces outside them as well as the characters’ experiences in those spaces,aiming at discussing that the colored people had gone through the loss of home but finally regained it in terms of spatial experiences.Beloved is inspired by the true story of an African American slave—Margaret Garner.There are two manifest features of the novel,which are discussed in the thesis: One is the non-linear narration characterized with frequent narration and variable focalization.The other is the shifts of spaces from Sweet Home to house 124.The shadow of the past refers to the unforgettable memories of the miserable sufferings of the blacks,which are presented through the non-linear narration.It is those miserable sufferings that take place in Sweet Home—the Northern Plantation—that make it lose the function as home of sheltering and comforting its dwellers,transforming the space as a Sacred Space that shackles the colored people.The attempt of fleeing from Sweet Home to house 124 is for the purpose of getting rid of the negative impact of Sweet Home as a Sacred Space.Although house serving as a home temporarily,house 124’s function as a safe home is destroyed by the tracing of the whites that makes Sethe lose her families.House 124,therefore,becomes a copy of Sweet Home—another Sacred Space that confines the colored people from getting away from the shadow.The colored people,to get away from the shadow and regain a home they dream of,have made a lot of efforts.They rely on their traditions and get close to natural environment,attempting to acquire rebirth and salvation in the identification with the nature.Besides,they turn to the narration featured with the participation of both the narrator and the listener,making both of them the members of a community.Through the repeated narration focalized by different persons as well as the power of the community,they enable themselves to cope with those tragic memories,completing the partial narration from the authority.At last,the colored people manage to get themselves rid of the miserable memories through asking the help from the black community as well as integrating to it in terms of spatial experiences,fully being away from the shadow of the past that confines them in the Sacred Space and regaining their homes.