Reclaiming Identity: A Feminist Analysis of Trauma and Resistance in Toni Morrison's Beloved and God Help the Child

This paper offers a feminist analysis of Toni Morrison's Beloved (1987) and God Help the Child (2015), exploring the intersection of trauma and resistance in Black female identity. Drawing on Black feminist thought, particularly Bell Hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, and Judith Butler, the study examines Sethe and Bride’s psychological experiences as reflections of Black women’s struggles for self-definition within oppressive systems. Beloved highlights the trauma of slavery and its impact on Black motherhood, while God Help the Child addresses internalised racism and the performative nature of beauty standards. Through acts of resistance and identity reclamation, Morrison's protagonists assert self-love as a transformative force in healing from intergenerational trauma.