The Importance of Beloved’s Magical Feminism in Understanding the Function of Memorials

Abstract

Abstract: Memorial architecture has gained significance in helping communities recover from collective trauma, with memory becoming a central concept in studies of traumatic events. In Beloved, Morrison explores the complexity of trauma through Sethe's struggle to rationalize infanticide and distance herself from judgment. The narrative Sethe constructs after her encounter with Beloved offers insight into how memorials facilitate healing. While memorials are silent, Beloved, as a speaking character, allows for recovery by enabling the expression of trauma. Memorials likely aid in healing by stimulating the senses and providing access to traumatic memories, but this process is gradual, requiring individuals to construct coherent narratives while reconciling fragmented memories. Keywords: Memorial architecture, collective trauma, memory, healing.