Essay on Toni Morrisons Beloved - How We Define Ourselves

How We Define Ourselves in good The idea of how we define ourselves is a topic that has much force in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. Two of the characters in the novel put on strongly opposite ideas of defining their witness selves. Baby Suggs displays a very healthy sense impression of self, entirely based on only who she is as a person, and not relying on any other(a) person to assist her in her definition. She is an independent person and loves her testify self greatly. Sethe, on the other hand, has an unhealthy sense of self because who she is is strongly dependent on her interactions and relationships with her children. The above is excerpt is provided to indicate the focus of the seek. The complete essay begins below The journey towards finding ones self is a long and arduous one, twisting and turning in every direction. The destination is a personal identity -- a definition of who one is, independent of anyone else. Some people find a straight path that leads th em directly to the discovery of their selves. another(prenominal) people 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 still others who involve 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 still 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 stop learning and experiencing new things, so our definitions of self are constantly being challenged and sometimes altered. However, when we begin to rely solely upon other people to know who we a re, 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 mind and heart, independent of others. The road towards personal identity is long. Several people may help us out along the way, hydrating us as postulate carrying us as needed. But, in the end, we hopefully cross the finish line 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. One Flew everywhere the Cuckoos Nest. 4. Secrets and Lies.