Beloved is proof of racial inequalities
I just read this novel and saw the movie in English class at my school, and I'm fascinated. The way that black people are portrayed could be described as ignorant and animalistic--for instance the beastly, carnal behavior of Sethe's lover, Paul D. I was horrified, and yet at the same time, comforted, I guess.
My family and I are members of the Thomas Robb Ministry, where we believe that each race should stay separate (it's NOT racism!!! There IS a difference!). There are few works of art that prove this to be more true. Beloved was the product of a white man and a black woman (if I recall correctly), and thus had several abnormalities. Blacks in general in Beloved are, as I said before, either ignorant and animalistic, or the victims of a society where it simply won't work to have two separate races mix. It could be seen as a metaphor for modern society, I think, because if you do the research, you'll discover that a lot of the crimes in America are from races and heritages mixing together. Blacks, whites, Jews, Mexicans, and what have you are better off by themselves. I know this is somewhat controversial, but remember the Holy Bible: one must love their heritage, like Jacob...not despise it, like Esau.
Anyway, an interesting read and an interesting movie, and I've e-mailed Pastor Robb about both for use in his sermons.