Slavery and Dehumanization in Toni Morrison’s Beloved Essay

The atrocities of slavery know no bounds. Its devices leave lives ruined families pulled apart and countless people dead. Yet many looked away or accepted it as a necessary part of society, even claiming it was beneficial to all. The only way this logic works is if the slaves are seen as less than human, people who cannot be trusted to take care of themselves. In Toni Morrison’s Beloved the consequences of a lifetime of slavery are examined. Paul D and seethe, two former slaves have experienced the worst slavery has to offer. Under their original master, Mr. Garner the slaves were treated like humans. They were encouraged to think for themselves and make their own decisions. However, upon the death of Mr. Garner all of that changes. Under†¦show more content†¦In his eyes the rooster is better than him, stronger. He reflects on how an animal that could not even hatch on its own could become something greater than himself. He has been degraded so low that he considers this rooster to be a â€Å"king†. Slavery has reduced him to something that is weaker than an animal. Paul D is no longer allowed go or do what he pleases. He has been completely striped of his free will. Paul D says, â€Å"Mister was allowed to be and stay what he was. But I wasn’t allowed to be and stay what I was.†(86) Paul D has truly lost the abilities that define him as human. Not only can he not do and say what he wants, but he can no longer be what he is. He uses the word was, implying that he has already become something else. The uses of â€Å"allowed† further illustrate the Whiteman’s role in this transformation. He is forced into submission and forbidden from being himself. The white men take an active role in breaking Paul D’s identity, much like they would tame a horse. They morph him into something most convenient for them, which is a labor machine devoid of complications like emotions or personality. He says, â€Å"Even if y ou cooked him you’d still be cooking a rooster named Mister. But wasn’t no way I’d ever be Paul d again, living or dead. Schoolteacher changed me. I was something else and that something was less than a chicken sitting in theShow MoreRelatedSlave Narratives: Beloved by Toni Morrison1644 Words   |  7 Pagesexperienced these hardships, and weren’t even born to witness it. Slave narratives are memoirs that were written while slavery was still legalized, for example Harriet Jacob’s â€Å"Incidents in the life of a Slave Girl†. However, Toni Morrison’s â€Å"Beloved† is considered a neo-slave narrative because it is a story that is written after the abolishment of slavery. These stories of slavery still haunt Americans, black and white. 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