Maternal bond in Beloved by Toni Morrison The maternal bond between mother and relatives is valued and important in all cultures. Mothers and children are linked and united: physically, from the womb and from the breast; and emotionally, by a sense of self and ownership. Once that bond is established, a mother will do anything for her child. In the novel Beloved, author Toni Morrison describes a woman, Sethe, whose bond is so strong that she goes to great lengths to keep her children safe and protected from the evil she knows. He gave them the gift of life and then, adding to that, the joy of freedom. Determined to protect them from the hell of slavery, she took drastic measures to keep them away from that life. But in doing so, the bond that was his strength became his weakness, destroying the only thing he loved. Slaves in the United States were denied everything, every form of identification with the human race. They have been denied the freedom of life: the very right to appreciate and enjoy the beauty of nature in the world, which is not theirs to enjoy. Furthermore, they were denied the very way in which all human beings identify themselves: through the influence of others. Community and harmony between their people were not allowed. Children were taken from their mothers and brothers from their sisters. Dr. Kubitcheck says, “Another crucial part of identity and culture, language, was also lost to slaves.” (126). Individual slaves were often placed on plantations with other slaves from different parts of Africa, who spoke completely different languages ​​and therefore had no way of communicating with each other. ?Symbolically,? Kubitcheck says: “slavery.” . . African identity erased? (126). Why... middle of paper... the part of her that was clean? (251). Sethe's commitment to her children remains unwavering. Kubitcheck says (123). Although her actions were scary and shameful according to the community, her actions were done with a sense of love and protection, so as not to break the maternal bond. The bond between a mother and her child goes beyond understanding words. Toni Morrison, in Beloved, tries to take control of it. By creating a character so consumed with her children being a measure of her worth, Morrison shows the strength of the maternal bond. It is what has the power to love something or someone with all your heart. It is that love that, giving life, is strong enough to kill. Works Cited1. Kubitcheck, MD. Toni Morrison: a critical companion. London: Greenwood Press, 1998.2. Morrison, Tonini. Beloved. New York: Plume, 1987.