Beloved

How does society influence an individuals perception of himself? How does it influence an individuals perception of others?

In Toni Morrison's Beloved, Sethe's perception of herself is molded by her past experiences as a slave. Every one of her future actions and thoughts are made through the lens of a former slave. Without having lived the terrible live as an enslaved being, Sethe would have never made the decision to kill her own children. In a sense, she committed that act of violence because she believed that death was a more favorable option to enslavement. Sethe simply wished to hurt her children "lovingly" before the slave owners could do it violently. The novel documents Sethe's recovery from slavery and the transition into becoming her own true identity. This recovery is necessary because her perception of herself as a slave, and as a survivor rather than an individual, is as detrimental as it is lasting, and it is a direct influence from the society of that time.