The Various ways in which memories can be preserved leading them to be used as a tool for shaping identity.

Abstract

The purpose of this journal article is to explore the different ways in which memories can be portrayed, and to discuss the impact that the preservation and repression of particular memories can have upon an individual in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison. Memories are portrayed in various ways in the novel: through the body, in facial features and skin colour along with scars and injuries, or in physical items like possessions or artefacts. The repression of traumatic memories, like the memories of slavery from victims themselves, can have a negative impact on mental wellbeing in later life. Memories can both be preserved and portrayed externally, and the build-up of hundreds of memories and experiences throughout one’s life creates identity.