Many Masters of Slavery

In 1865, the passing of Amendment XIII by congress abolished slavery in the United States. Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, covers a span of time just before, and just after the abolishment of slavery. Reading the novel we learn that despite being physically free, complete freedom for former slaves and their families can not be realized until they are no longer imprisoned by their pasts. Based upon the true events of Margaret Garner, Beloved is centered …

…prize winning novel addresses many themes simultaneously. The underlying theme of what it really means to be free is still questioned today as some levels of discrimination still occurs in this country, 140 years after the abolishment of slavery and equal rights. Freedom is a complex issue, complicated further by the many masters each of us have in our lives, and that not belonging to a single master does not really mean that you are free.