SE Academic Review 2023

3 ACADEMIC REVIEW 2023

rememory is ‘the tangible presence of the past in everyday experience’ (Gillespie, 2008, p. 20), whilst this is true, Gillespie does not analyse the significance of rememory and how it is representative of the Black experience in post-abolition America. The recollection of this memory and the reflective manner in which it is portrayed, exhibits how the pains of slavery are still alive to Sethe. Morrison’s narrative structure and the idea of ‘rememory’ allows the reader to understand this pain and hurt through looking at the past. This distinctive narrative voice is carried through in Beloved ’s sequel, Jazz . Morrison switches between first and third person in Jazz and creates an elusive figure to communicate the events of the novel (Khaleghi, 2011, p. 1). The narrative voice of Jazz is presented as gossipy and all-knowing and is perceived as a feminine voice; this constant female narrator in the novel contrasts with Joe’s absent mother and the lack of a female figure in his life. Furthermore, the fact that the ellusive narrator is never confirmed, mirrors the fact that Wild is only hinted to be Joe’s mother. The novel begins with the unobjective perspective of the narrator, ‘Sth [sic], I know that woman’ (Morrison, Jazz , 1992, p. 1), Morrison immediately builds on the tale-bearing tone of the narrator with the use of ‘I’ and by referring to Violet as ‘that woman’. Morrison establishes an omniscient speaker, however, the narrator then critiques herself, ‘I was sure one would kill the other… I was so sure it would happen.’, consequently reminding the reader that the narrator is not all knowing but is Whilst some critics focus on the feminist aspects of Morrison’s work, such as Jacqueline Trace (1991, p. 15), it is important not to concentrate on this area of her work, with Morrison herself saying that she does not identify her works as feminist ( Jaffrey, 1998). Morrison’s portrayal of relationships and slavery’s impact on them is not as often investigated, allowing the exploration of more original ideas and perspectives. The methodology used to answer this question was to begin with the analysis of the two novels in question; alongside this, it was essential to consider other critics’ opinions on both Beloved and Jazz through reading journal articles analysing Morrison’s work in order to gain an insight into alternative perspectives and opinions.

Narrative Voice Morrison uses a distinctive voice in both Beloved and Jazz ; the scattered narrative voice in in the novels helps convey the message of the impact of slavery and racism on relationships. The choice of an ambiguous and scattered narrative voice in Beloved mimics the scattered lives of the people and communities attempting to restore their lives due to the break-up of families as a direct result of the slave trade (Cutter, 2000, p. 61). This dispersed narrative has been described by Morrison as, ‘rememory’, the concept of repeatedly looking back on certain memories which in turn affect a person’s way of processing the present (Clough, 1998). By looking at the past as well as the present through her use of ‘rememory’, Morrison manages to structure current and previous events in the novel which allows us to visualise the violence and fear Sethe lived under as a slave which now affects her relationships. This is described in the novel by Sethe speaking to her daughter, Denver, ‘Some things go. Pass on. Some things just stay. I used to think it was my rememory. You know. Some things you forget. Other things you never do. But it’s not.’ (Morrison, Beloved , 1987, p. 43) The narrative style and the use of ‘rememory’ is particularly evident in Sethe’s memory of Sweet Home: her reflection on her traumatic past affects her present relationships, echoing the lives and experiences of many other former slaves like her. Sethe’s description of the scars on her back show they are an emblem of the pain and suffering she has had to undergo, ‘Schoolteacher made me open up my back and when it closed it made a tree. It grows there still’ (p. 20). Carmen Gillespie states that Morrison’s intentions and aims when writing are important to consider when approaching the analysis of the novels: ‘the affective and participatory relationship between the artist or the speaker and the audience is of primary importance’ (Pici, 2000, p. 375). Understanding the intentions behind the novels allows the reader to fully comprehend every aspect and decision. direct effects along with the legacy of slavery are still felt today. Morrison manages to address crucial issues, including mother-child relationships, race and gender, whilst also engaging with the distressing historical past and its impact on Black human beings in the present (Bernatonyé, 2011, p. 37).