... gesture of a loving mother. It is the outrageous claim of a slave"(Morrison 1987). These are the words that Toni Morrison used to describe the actions of the central character within the novel, Beloved. That character, Sethe, is presented as a former slave woman who chooses to kill her baby girl rather than allowing her to be exposed to the physically, emotionally, and spiritually oppressive horrors of a life spent ... down for anybody who had to ask. If they didn't get it right off-- she could never explain. Because the truth was simple, not a long-drawn-out record of flowered shifts, ...

• Word Count: 3106
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: High School