Essay on Toni Morrisons Beloved - How We Define Ourselves

How We Define Ourselves in beloved The idea of how we define ourselves is a topic that has some(prenominal) force in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. Two of the characters in the novel boast strongly opposite ideas of defining their own selves. Baby Suggs displays a very(prenominal) healthy sense of ego, completely based on only who she is as a person, and not relying on any separate person to help her in her definition. She is an independent person and loves her own self greatly. Sethe, on the another(prenominal) hand, has an unhealthy sense of self because who she is is strongly dependent on her interactions and kinships with her children. The preceding(prenominal) is excerpt is provided to indicate the focus of the essay. The complete essay begins below The jaunt towards finding ones self is a long and knockout one, twisting and turning in every direction. The destination is a in-person identity -- a definition of who one is, independent of anyone else. Some quit e a little find a straight path that leads them directly to the discovery of their selves. other(a) plurality take the road that has many switch-backs and obstacles to overcome, but eventually these people make it to the destination of self as well. There are bland others who get lost along the way. The process of finding ones self is strongly reliant upon our interactions with other people. From the beginning, as infants, to when we are take over small children, we have no idea who we are or what our relationship to the world is. Our perceptions of the world are through the eyes of our parents or guardians and other adults who try to teach us and show us the world. They instill in us their own ideas of right and wrong, good and bad. As we grow, our peers have much influence over h... ...t our own sense of self. We never endure learning and experiencing new things, so our definitions of self are constantly universe challenged and sometimes altered. However, when we begin to rely solely upon other people to crawl in who we are, our self is no longer our own. A true sense of self is responsive to ones interactions and relationships with people, but defined only by ones own legal opinion and heart, independent of others. The road towards personal identity is long. Several people may help us out along the way, hydrating us as indispensable carrying us as needed. But, in the end, we hopefully cross the finish delimitate on our own. Works Cited 1. Kubitcheck, M.D. Toni Morrison A Critical Companion. London Greenwood Press, 1998. 2. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York Plume, 1987. 3. unmatched Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. 4. Secrets and Lies.