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The past is your identity, it shapes your present. It’s never truly gone or past, even if you don’t realize how it affects you. Our past not only influences our present in the decisions we make or our attitudes and opinions, it lives in the present. Because of this, the past isn't dead, and it never will be.

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A common mindset of many Americans is that your past doesn’t determine your future. Many people think that because people change over time the past is dead. According to Milburn and Nicodemus, “Sometimes the mighty fall, and the fallen embrace greatness. Sometimes you think that you are not enough until you discover that you are more than enough. If the past equaled the future than your windshield would be no use to you; you would simply drive your car with your eyes glued to the rear view. But driving this way-looking only behind you- is a surefire way to crash.” Many believe that dwelling on events of the past, whether positive or negative, is a waste of time because it doesn’t determine where you will go. While the past doesn’t necessarily determine where you will go in the future, it does play an impact on who you are as a person, and your outlook on life. It impacts the decisions you make and your attitude. Your decisions and attitude can contribute towards your future; big decisions including whether or not you choose to go to college, or whether or not you choose to have kids can all impact how your life ends up. These decisions can be influenced by your past. For example, if you were raised in an environment where you were expected to be perfect, insecurity might crowd your mind. Your past doesn't determine where you will go, but it impacts who you are,and because of this, it lives in the present.

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Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved is a heartbreaking account of slavery and its effects on its victims. In the novel, the main character Sethe struggles to accept herself because of her past. Her past was filled with sexual, physical and emotional abuse, pain, loss, oppression and dehumanization. She felt insecure and her sense of self worth was extremely low because of her past experiences; her past was so painful to endure that she couldn’t even speak of it. One of the hardest aspects of her past for Sethe to confront was the decision that she made to murder her child. She didn’t want her child to have to go through the same horrible experiences that she had, and Sethe thought that in taking her baby’s life, she was saving her baby.  Beloved’s purpose in the novel was to represent Sethe’s past and force her to confront it in order to move on for Sethe to be able to move on from it; while confronting her past was difficult,  “It amazed Sethe (as much as it pleased Beloved) because every mention of her past life hurt. Everything in it was painful or lost. She and Baby Suggs had agreed without saying so that it was unspeakable” (Morrison 69).  Sethe’s murdered child embodied the body of a grown woman, Beloved. Beloved was a representation of Sethe’s past. Her past lived in her present,and influenced her present to an extent in which she couldn’t even think about the future. Sethe's mind was “loaded with the past and hungry for more, it left her no room to imagine, let alone plan, for the next day” (Morrison 83).In the novel Beloved, the character Beloved was a representation of Sethe’s past, specifically her dead child. Her past haunted Sethe until she was able to come to terms with it. Through her novel, Morrison illustrated the theme that the past is never dead.

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How many times have you found yourself choosing to do something because of a memory you have or an event that occurred in your past? I do this all of the time- sometimes when I get really overwhelmed or sad or stressed out, I like to walk around my neighborhood, being sure to stroll past my old house. I like walking past my old house because it brings back so many memories of my childhood, when I was young and carefree, and when my family was happy and together. Walking past my old house brings back the rush of excitement I got when I heard my dad open the door, coming back from work just in time for dinner. It brings back memories of the day my brother was born. It reminds me of my nana, who was always waiting for me when I got home from school with a big smile on her face, and arms wide open for a hug.Another place I always walk past is an old playground in my neighborhood- I remember having contests with my childhood friends, seeing who could swing the highest. It's as if my past is alive when I walk by my old house, or that old playground. We live in the past- things around us (nature, objects, etc.) are a reminder of our past, stirring up emotions and nostalgia.

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Is the past ever truly dead or past just because events of the past occurred a long time ago? Do our past experiences affect the present? According to William Faulkner, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” The only relics we have of our past are our memories, which only exist in our head, and tangible objects, which can easily be destroyed, or lost. Memories fade each day, but some events in our lives are too significant to forget, because they shaped us into who we are in the present. Faulkner’s quote does not only emphasize the influence that the past has on the present, it also emphasizes the fact that the past lives in the present, as if it's a part of the present.