The Importance of Rememory in Beloved
A recurring theme throughout Beloved by Toni Morrison, is the concept of "rememory." As opposed to "memory" which is simply knowledge that is intentionally and constantly remembered, "rememory" is the recollection of certain memories that have been repressed and/or forgotten. As such, when Sethe is faced with a "rememory," which typically stems from an extrememly traumatic point in her life, she is immediately taken back in time, and forced to relive those events.
An example that stands out to me regarding "rememory" is the instance of Sethe learning from Paul D that Halle was there to witness Sethe being by schoolteacher's two nephews. Prior to learning this information, Sethe was already traumatized by the rape, however hearing from Paul D that Halle was there the entire time, and did nothing to stop her rapists, further heightens her trauma. This scene expemplifies how either recalling repressed memories, or learning of new information can intensify the traumatic nature of an event.
When discussing "rememory" in class, I was intriguied by the idea, as I had never encountered it in any other work of literature before. Now, I think, that Morrison utilized "rememory" to encapsulate the experiences of those who have undergone extremely traumatic experiencies, namely individuals who have been forced into/escaped from slavery. Personally, it is difficult for me to imagine having to constantly fear remembering events I have gone through, and Morrison is able to perfectly convey that fear to the readers.
I think the concept of "rememory" in a narrative is really interesting, and the context Morrison put it in is fascinating. The idea of a narrator finding things out the same time as us due to memory repression is not necessarily a new concept, but the way it's done in Beloved, where the repression is genuine horrific trauma, is simultaneously interesting and horrifying.
ReplyDeleteMorrison uses the idea of rememory in a really interesting way, that compliments her style of telling the story with a shifting perspective. I also liked how Morrison manifested Sethe's fears in psychological and physical ways... (remembering the experience, and being literally haunted by what happened). Forcing her to remember the story with a new perspective is even more painful than before.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I really like how you shared your personal thoughts on the idea of rememory. I think the concept is used well in the book to show the reader how Sethe feels when thinking about events in the past. The example you use to support your argument is also great, and overall your post is easy to follow and intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this! I think rememory is a really great tool that Toni Morrison uses to show readers how deeply affected these characters are and how even though the traumatic events are generally over, the characters are still experiencing them in their own minds every day. Her writing style really shows the heavy, deep effects of slavery not only on the individual, but on generations after because, as we observe in the book, Denver is also heavily affected by the events at Sweet Home even though she was never really there.
ReplyDeleteI found the idea of rememory to be fascinating, especially since the book deals so much with trauma of the past rather than action in the present. The scene in the barn and how it becomes worse for Sethe when she learns Halle was there was also a scene that intrigued me - I kind of imagined it as Sethe's memory having a new level, with Halle being up in the loft. Toni Morrison does a really good job of showing us that memory is a living thing and it's always changing both in shape and also the way we react to it. Great job on this post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I have also found the idea of rememory to be so fascinating, yet difficult to truly grasp. Morrison's use of the past and present mixing creates such a surreal and captivating narrative, where we readers can experience trauma in a nonlinear way, just like how the characters actually would. Trauma doesn't heal and go away forever, it comes back in rememory.
ReplyDeleteMorrison's use of rememory is so powerful. if the book was written in chronological order it would be less interesting and would not be able to make the points it wants to make as well. Sometimes it can be confusing, but it is a trade-off to help convey the plot and I'm all for it.
ReplyDeleteAwesome job on this blog post! I completely agree that rememory contributes to the physical structure and placement of the events within the book. The heart of the story, or rather the central point in the plot, is literally the middle of the book. You make some compelling points in this post that I find interesting to compare with my own.
ReplyDeleteThe concept of "rememory" is Morrison's original invention for this novel--the term might be used occasionally now to refer to other kinds of flashback narrative that works in a similar way, but that would be an allusion to _Beloved_ and the famous passage you wrote about in your notebook. And we should say that the concept is technically *Sethe's*, because Morrison credits her with it in the novel. Sethe is clear that it's her original idea, what "I call" rememory, and we can surmise it's a product of her reflections on how memory and the past have worked in her life. She coins a term to describe a phenomenon she's experienced--when a "memory picture" from her past arises without warning and emotionally ambushes her. A key (and frightening) aspect of "rememory" is its utterly involuntary nature--the rememberer has no control over it at all, just as Sethe can't anticipate and stop Paul D from telling her about Halle and the churn. Once she has that knowledge, she can't pretend she doesn't, and her "picture" is forever changed. And we are reminded that we don't even have the full story--there are always more rememories that can be added.
ReplyDeletePsychologists today likely talk about the same essential phenomenon in terms of repressed memory and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Hey Mariam, this is an excellent post! You make a great point about how important the use of rememory is in the novel. Without Morrisons use of this litereary technique, it would not be able to manipulate and warp the perception of the reader so well. Good post!
ReplyDeleteRememory is such an interesting concept and it's woven everywhere throughout this novel. It's interesting how you defined rememory simply as the recollection of repressed or forgotten memories—I'd thought of it as a more abstract idea of people's memories being added to and reshaped by new knowledge. I definitely think both definitions apply though, and there's many different ways to interpret this somewhat vague concept.
ReplyDeleteThis is a fantastic post! I think you do a great job of defining rememory, not just as a standalone concept, but also as it is contextualized in the novel. I definitely agree that Morrison's writing techniques immerse the reader into the feelings of rememory. You identified "fear" with rememory, and this made me think of how I felt before reading what happened to Beloved. I almost felt afraid of what had happened to them, afraid of the memory that would be revealed. I think that definitely ties in with what you were saying about Morrison's intentionality behind the concept. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe constant thread of rememory in this novel is so interesting in that it is essentially the base for the entire story. Morrison uses the concept of rememory to draw the story out of Sethe, just like how trauma and past memories work when they are suppressed in the way they have been with every character who came from Sweet Home. This makes every "rememory" so much more impactful and very much intentional in its messages. Nice post!!
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Mariam! You did a great job of explaining rememory and how it exacerbates the past's effects on the characters in the novel. By burying her memories deep down, Sethe makes her rememories so much worse, causing her to be distressed and angry, as illustrated in the scene you described. You really encapsulate the burden the characters carry, even after their days in slavery. Overall, great job!
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Morrison's nonlinear method of storytelling can make the book hard to follow at times, but it is definitely worth it in my opinion. The reader can get more satisfaction from the book with Morrison introducing new contexts, via the use of rememory. Rememory brings the characters down to Earth for the reader by validating the character's traumas and experiences.
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