In Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, Morrison uses universal themes and characters that everyone can relate to today. Set in the 1800s, Beloved is about the destructive effects of American slavery. However, the most destructive thing about the novel is the impact of slavery on the human soul. Morrison's Beloved highlights how slavery contributed to the destruction of identity by examining the importance of community solidarity, as well as the powers and limitations of language during the 1860s. This novel illustrates the power and importance of community solidarity. For example, Sethe receives help from members of the Underground Railroad in exorcising Beloved's ghost. Morrison writes: “Some brought what they could and what they thought would work. Stuffed into the pockets of the apron, slipped around the neck, placed in the space between the breasts. Others brought the Christian faith, as shield and sword. Most brought a little of both” (303). The town unites against the ghost. Critics discuss numerous examples of the universality of community solidarity in Beloved. Wahneema Lubiano writes: “This novel is, finally, a text about community as a place of complications that empowers its members, as much as its social history within a larger formation weakens. » This statement relates well to the fact that the community comes together to fight the ghost. Another example of a character who exemplifies community solidarity is Paul D. Paul's community at the time was the men's group when he was in prison. They all depended on each other to survive. Morrison writes to show this: "Those who succeeded – those who had been there enough years to have mutilated her, perhaps even buried her – were watching over the others who were still in her cock-tease….. middle of paper ......er's Sons, 1991. 317-338. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. October 24, 2013. Gomez, Sandra. “Community and Relationships.” The beloved guide. Np, 11 10 2008. Web. December 14, 2013. .Khaleghi, Mahboobeh. “The Ghost of Slavery: Individual and Community Identity in Toni Morrison’s Beloved.” Language in India February 2012: 472+. Literary Resource Center. Internet. October 24, 2013. Lubiano, Wahneema. “Morrison, Toni (1931–).” African American Writers. Ed. Valerie Smith. 2nd ed. Flight. 2. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2001. 581-597. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Internet. October 24, 2013. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York: Knopf, 1987. Print. Vickroy, Laurie. “Outer Force/Inner Strength: Maternal Love and Regenerative Spaces in Sula and Beloved.” Obsidian II 8.2 (1993): 28+. Literary Resource Center. Internet. December 16. 2013.