Psychological Perspective of Mother-Daughter Relationship in Toni Morrison’s Beloved

Abstract

Toni Morrison delves deeply into history, culture, and human psychology in her novels, which go well beyond surface dynamics to examine the mother-daughter bond in great detail. Morrison's writing expertly explores the psychological elements that shape and define the relationship between mothers and daughters while also illuminating the bond between them through the careful weaving together of intricate events. Morrison focuses his examination on the idea of identity. She examines how women negotiate their identities in the face of family expectations, societal norms, and personal aspirations. Through the lives of her characters, Morrison illustrates the inner struggles that women experience as they attempt to strike a balance between the weight of their ancestors' past and their demand for personal liberty. Morrison uses parallelism between Beloved and Sethe frequently enough to make it hard for the reader to ignore their affection for one another and their mental relationship, which is, regrettably, the source of their conflict as mother and daughter. A further sign that the two do not understand each other's reasons for love and desertion is the difference between Beloved's recall that Sethe "left her" and Sethe's reminder to her that she "loves her."