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How Does Toni Morrison Present Frieda's Relationship In Beloved

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With such a large focus on family in her stories, the fact that Toni Morrison frequently writes about siblings is hardly surprising. While the individual characters are unique, certain trends appear across the relationships over and over again. Throughout her novels, Toni Morrison uses the relationship between siblings to emphasize either the brother’s desire for control or the importance of sisters supporting each other. The brothers want the power to command both their sisters and their surroundings; if they cannot, they run away entirely. The sisters express values of companionship— with the sole exception to the pattern being Denver and Beloved. The anomaly in the patterns exists to underscore Beloved’s unnatural function as a reminder of the past. One of the key relationships that proves this point is Milkman’s treatment of his sisters in Song of Solomon. He is their protector in his eyes, and so he frequently tries to shape the direction of their lives. When he realizes that Corinthians’ boyfriend is a member of the Seven Days, he mentally berates her for her choice: “Foolish woman, he thought. Of all the people to pick. She was so silly. So silly. …show more content…

In The Bluest Eye, Claudia and Frieda work together as a team. When Claudia is sick in the beginning of the novel, Frieda is genuinely worried about her sister’s well-being and sings to soothe her. Later on, they are the only two who want to unite against Maureen. The entire school loves her, so Claudia and Frieda try to find ways to make fun of her all on their own: “But we had to do it alone, for none of the other girls would cooperate with our hostility” (The Bluest Eye 63) They make fun her of name, calling her “Meringue Pie,” and mock her dog tooth. Because none of the other girls will conspire with them, they are in solidarity together against

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