Author: Yuehua Lu, Ziyu Zhang

Abstract: This article is devoted to the study of trauma portrayed in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. The subject of the study is Sethe, the protagonists in the novel, who not only suffers from physical pain but also has to bear great mental pressure. The aim of the research is to find out the root causes and the recovery process of Sethe’s trauma, and then explore Toni Morrison’s writing ideas and the black spirit in her works. The major research methods are text analysis and social and historical criticism. How to heal the historical trauma that has been deposited in the hearts of the black people for such a long time and get rid of the misunderstanding of themselves? This is not only the question that the author has pondered over for a long time, but also a thought-provoking question to all the readers.

Keywords: Beloved, inter-generational transmission, recovery, Toni Morrison, Trauma Theory

Article Info: Received: 10 Jan 2023; Received in revised form: 06 Feb 2023; Accepted: 11 Feb 2023; Available online: 19 Feb 2023

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.81.23