Too often, ones' freedoms are encroached upon by someone or something else This encroachment can be both physical and emotional. Such circumstances can be very difficult to deal with and often times lead to hardship and emotional trauma. Sometimes it takes an external force or personality to come forward to help survive such instances. Such a scenario exists in both Toni Morrison's novel Beloved and in the movie Secrets and Lies. In both stories, there is a family disturbed by circumstances from the past and in response a character "from the past" comes back and helps to mend the somber situation, helps to free them from the past.

In Beloved, a slave by the name of Sethe escapes with her children from the dark and dismal environment of pl

In the months and years following the murder of her child, Seth's life is in a state of shambles. She does her best to hide the memories, to force them from her consciousness, but no matter how hard she tries, they still linger in the depths of her consciousness, they are a permanent part of her very being. When it appears that life could not get much worse for Sethe, a visitor emerges, a visitor from the past. Referring to herself as Beloved, Sethe's daughter, the one killed in the work shed, decided to come back into Sethe's life. Beloved is in search of answers, answers to the many questions that Sethe had worked so hard to hide, to permanently forget about. Through her constant questions and inquisitive personality, Beloved delves into Sethe's past. Upon Beloved's return to the family, Sethe's life begins to make sense once again. The family unit becomes stronger. The more memories Sethe allows to let go of, the more "rememories" she sets free from her consciousness, the less pain Sethe is forced to retain in her heart. Very similar to this situation in Beloved is the situation in the movie Secrets and Lies. The mother, Cynthia, is a middle aged factory worker who, similar to Sethe, is also haunted by her past and her deprivation from freedom. After her parents' death, Cynthia was forced to accept the role of mother figure to her younger brother Morris. In taking on such a role, Cynthia was forced to sacrifice many aspects of her youth. While sitting on the couch, complimenting herself on the beauty of her own legs, she complains about the loss of her youth. It becomes more evident later on in the story that she is frustrated not so much by the loss of her youth, but more appropriately by the entire aging process. Standing in front of the mirror, she cups her sagging breasts in her hands, crying. She can't face the realization that she does not have the same body as she did in her youth, time had taken its toll on her. She is frustrated by the fact that she can not escape the aging process.

antation life to the bright and carefree environment of freedom. From being shackled and torn from her family, to having her breasts sucked dry of milk by white plantation owners, Sethe has survived too many horrific situations and witnessed too many inhumane acts on her fellow man. In order to deal with such pain and the resulting bitterness, she tries to forget, tries to hide the memories deep down in her self. Sethe refers to these as "rememories."

Although Roxane and Denver are, for the most part, completely different characters, there are still a small number of similarities that one can uncover. For example, both daughters are forced to live their lives under the "microscope" of their overly protective and overbearing mothers. Despite this similarity, how the two girls react to the situation is much different. Denver is able to accept the fact that she is not to leave the house, not to venture out into the "real world." She in content to live her life in the confinement of Sethe's small house. Roxane, on the other hand, reacts very differently. She is so disgusted by her mother's constant shadowing and in response, is very bitter and negative to her mother. Roxane often runs from the house, yelling profanity, escaping the captivity which she is unwilling to accept. In the end, both Denver and Roxane are able to escape th

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Approximate Word count = 2256
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)