How We Define Ourselves in Beloved The idea of ​​how we define ourselves is a topic that has a lot of force in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. Two of the characters in the novel have strongly opposing ideas about the definition of their “self.” Baby Suggs displays a very healthy sense of self, completely based only on who she is as a person and not relying on any other person to help define her. He is an independent person and loves his “self” very much. Sethe, on the other hand, has an unhealthy sense of self because who she is is highly dependent on her interactions and relationships with her children. The excerpt above is provided to indicate the focus of the essay. The full essay begins below: The journey to finding your “self” is long and arduous, winding and twisting in every direction. Destination is a personal identity: a definition of who you are, independent of anyone else. Some people find a straight path that leads them directly to discovering their “self”. Other people take the road that has many twists and turns and obstacles to overcome, but in the end these people also manage to arrive at the destination of “self”. There are still others who get lost along the way. The process of finding our “self” depends heavily on our interactions with other people. From the beginning, as newborns, until we are still children, we have no idea who we are or what our relationship with 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 ideas of right and wrong, good and bad. As we grow up, our peers have a lot of influence on our sense of “self.” We never stop learning and experiencing new things, so our definitions of “self” are constantly challenged and sometimes altered. However, when we begin to rely solely on other people to know who we are, our “self” no longer belongs to us. A true sense of "self" responds to one's interactions and relationships with people, but is defined only by one's mind and heart, independent of others. The road to personal identity is long. Several people can help us along the way, hydrating us as needed; taking us as needed. But, in the end, you hope to cross the finish line alone. Works Cited1. Kubitcheck, MD Toni Morrison: A Critical Companion. London: Greenwood Press, 1998.2. Morrison, Tonini. Beloved. New York: Plume, 1987.3. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.4. Secrets and lies.