Alienation within the “Beloved” “Cultural trauma refers to a dramatic loss of identity and meaning, a tearing of the social fabric, affecting a group of people who have reached a certain degree of cohesion” (Day 2). This quote from Ron Eyerman in “Cultural Trauma” refers to a major theme of the novel “Beloved”; Self-alienation with one's own identity. While the cultural trauma of slavery took its toll on the populations of every state where it persisted, it resulted in the same outcome in each case. Simply put, the institution of slavery forms concrete and seemingly immovable walls between slave and master. As part of this practice, members of these societies found themselves locked into their respective roles. Erikson defines identity as “the conception of who and what one is over time and across situations” (Day 3). However, the slaves of this time did not experience various “situations”. After the harsh conditions and emotional trauma of slavery, there was its coherence. Every day, from dawn to dusk, consisted of the same work schedule, with rare variety. With this in mind, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that the slave was deprived of identity due to his inability to see himself in various real-life situations. The slave only knew the life of a slave. It is only when Paul D and Sethe escape this life that they are forced to stop distancing themselves from the world around them and accept their own identities. The slave masters of “Beloved,” whether apparently benevolent or not, have an effect on their slaves: they alienate them from everything around them, even to the point (in the words of Fredrick Douglass) that they crush (the natural affection of the slave). mother for the child", (Da...... middle of paper ......other. Morrison shows us through his novel that there is more to life than the master and the slave. It documents Sethe, Paul D, Baby Suggs and Stamp Paid's struggle to escape this mentality, but in doing so, the community is united and the horrors of the past (Beloved) are driven away. It is only when alienation is broken that love and life can arise. Works Cited Day, Lanette. “Identity Formation and White Presence in Toni Morrison's Beloved.edu. Web, April 2, 2014. Øisang, Rikke A. » Black body in “Beloved.” New narratives. University of Oslo, nd Web. April 3, 2014. Leon, Geoffrey. “Feeling of alienation and racial discrimination.” at Beloved. License And Master, nd Web April 3.. 2014.