The concept of ogbanje in "Beloved" (eBook)

Essay from the year 2020 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, , language: English, abstract: Toni Morrison died in 2019. But her literary legacy remains. The novel Beloved can be considered as a remarkable stepstone in her biography while it still, more than 20 years after being published, offers references and perspectives on the history and development of America. As a matter of authenticity Morrison used in her “American masterpiece” (Byatt) also elements that can be traced back to her early ancestors in Africa. The character of Beloved, who serves as a driving force in the novel, is to be analysed in this paper. Therefore, the investigation will focus on the question to what extent Beloved can be called an ogbanje.

The phenomenon of ogbanje as a special kind of spirit child concept is widely common in Western Africa. Especially in Nigeria this “myth of fate” (Achebe) is largely spread and this density is also depicted in many Nigerian books. While the concept varies in certain aspects depending on the country or the region, there are some criteria that are common. These criteria are the base of the application to the character of Beloved in the later following analysis.