arge. Her mother's message, "Take the girl...my daughter" is central to the novel as a whole, and functions as a symbol of the psychic damage imposed on so many as a result of involuntary separation of family members at the hand of slavery. This example portrays both the message understood by Florens and her mother's concealed message, and in turn depicts the overall communication halted by the horrors of slavery. In this, Morrison makes the assertion that slavery does not allow for explanation or accurate communication. That it does not permit clarification or any means of justifi
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