Trauma: An emotional shock that causes lasting and substantial damage to a person's psychological development. Linda Krumholz in the African American Review says Toni Morrison's book Beloved helps the nation recover from our traumatic history that is marked by unfortunate events such as slavery and intolerance. While this great effect may be true, one absolute thing is the lesson this book preaches. Morrison's core message that he wanted the reader to recognize is that life happens, people get hurt, but letting bad experiences obscure the possibility of good futures is not a good way to live. Morrison warns the reader that sooner or later you will have to choose between letting go of the past or it will overwhelm you. To reinforce to the reader the importance of accepting one's personal history, Morrison uses the story of the former slave Sethe to show the danger of not only holding on to the past, but also of denying the existence and weight of the psychological trauma it poses . to a person's psyche. It does this by using the characters and their actions to symbolize the past and the acceptance of its existence and its contents. While Beloved's benevolent presence is clear, his purpose to heal Sethe is masked by his chaotic personality. Before he even materialized, Beloved was trying to convince Sethe to revive her story. In fact, it had haunted Sethe and her family for years; this is evident in the text when the narrator states that “124 was mischievous. Full of a child's venom (Part 1-page 3).” Even when she couldn't physically scold Sethe for repeating the past, Beloved still tried to push her to do what was best for her. Once she gained her physical form, Beloved slowly broke Sethe's m... half of paper... giving you. Using characters and symbolizing events, Morrison captivates audiences with his compelling Beloved story. More importantly, however, it teaches the reader to understand the importance of recognizing that the past, no matter how terrible and horrible, must be remembered, accepted, and overcome. Works Cited Krumholz, Linda. "The Ghosts of Slavery: Historical Recovery in Toni Morrison's Beloved." African American Review 26.3 (1992): 14p. Ebsco. Network. May 14, 2014 Jesser, Nancy. “Violence, Home, and Community in ToniMorrison’s “Beloved.” African American Review 33.2(1999): 325-345. MasterFILEPremier...Web. May 13, 2014.Washington, Teresa N. "The "Àjé" Mother-Daughter Relationship in Toni Morrison's "Beloved." AfricanAmerican Review 39.1/2 (2005): 171-188. EBSCO. Network. May 13 2014.