Eula’s moving monologue in this scene feels as if it was transposed from the pages of Beloved. In that moment, it felt as if Eula summoned Baby Suggs’ spirit in the clearing and preached a five minute, matter-of-fact, sermon. Her defensive speech of Yellow Mary seems to eerily parallel Baby's Suggs' stance about Sethe. The similarities of both women, who have been shunned by those that should be their closest allies are undeniably, almost indistinguishable.

2. Within Daughters of the Dust Nana Peazant who is in a way a mix of Beloved’s Sethe and Baby Suggs encourages her descendants to not forget their cultural roots and their history. She ends up staying in the Gullah islands while the majority of the family leaves for the Great Migration. This also connects back to Sethe and the rest of the women's roles in Beloved who are tied down to the legit shackles of the past however for Sethe her past is darker in comparison. The main aspect of spirituality is heavily present in both stories while spirituality in Beloved is manifested to an entity that represents the trauma of the past, in Daughters of the Dust spirituality is seen with the Unborn Child who is the bridge of the past and the future “ There must be a connection... We are two people in one body; nanas of the old and the force of the new.” (Dash, 1991)

In DOD, the notion of ancestral memory is fundamental to the cultural heritage of free Gullah Geechee people, particularly in the post-antebellum South. This is a form of memory that matriarch Nana Peazant describes to Eli as: “There’s a thought, a recollection, something, somebody remembers. We carry these memories inside of we….We don’t know where the recollections come from. Sometimes we dream them. But we carry these memories inside of we.” These 'recollections' are meant to help one get "in touch with [their] own spirit' by connecting them to this channel of collective knowledge and experience. By remembering, the members of this family grow and overcome the situations presented to them as they embark on new journeys of opportunity.

By contrast, in Beloved, the process of remembering/specifically encountering a rememory is somatic and situational. In the novel, memories are so tangible that even when physical markers disappear, one can "bump" into a rememory and become entrapped by the reenactment of those particular experiences. Sethe, like other formerly enslaved people and fugitives, during the time of slavery, must navigate the trauma that comes with 'remembering' what was done to them and their ancestors, and what will be done to their offspring and loved ones. Even joyous recollections are coloured by the constant threat of violence and oppression that enslaved people were confronted with on a continous bais. Memory, in both texts, cannot be hidden, forgotten or left behind but rather continuously makes itself apparent in the lives of the people.

Toni Morrison’s Beloved takes a darker, more haunting approach to ancestral memory. The past is not just remembered—it refuses to stay buried. Sethe, grappling with trauma, reflects: “I used to think it was my rememory. You know. Some things you forget. Other things you never do. But it’s not. Places, places are still there…” (Morrison 43). Memory isn’t just personal; it lingers in places, in history, in generations. Beloved herself embodies this—she is not just a ghost but a physical manifestation of slavery’s trauma, a relic and symbol of the Middle Passage. Her eerie recollection of being “dark, hot, and crowded” among the dead (Chapter 8) echoes the horrific conditions of the slave ships, illustrating how unresolved trauma continues to haunt both individuals and the spaces they inhabit. Just as the Gullah Geechee people honor and preserve their past through spiritual practices, Beloved reminds us that history cannot be ignored—it demands acknowledgment.

At the heart of both works is the idea that ancestral memory is both painful and a source of strength. The Gullah Geechee people’s spiritual rituals—like those at Ibo Landing—are more than just acts of remembrance; they are declarations of survival. Daughters of the Dust and Beloved both show that Black identity is deeply tied to the past, which is integral to shaping the future—not just through trauma, but through strength, culture, and an unbreakable connection to those who came before.

Eula mirrors this phenomenon by her communication through Nana Peazant. Continually, her being in the unborn state is incredibly interesting. Babies essentially float in the womb. During development babies freely float in the amniotic sac. I saw this to be reflective of how significant water is and how Eula is the personification of the limbo between two worlds that the Gullah Geechee people experienced.

This certainly reminds me of Beloved, as one of Sethe's main struggles comes from her refusal to confront the horrors and tragedies of her past. Just as Nana warns against severing ties with history, Beloved shows how repressing the past allows it to resurface in haunting and destructive ways. The conflict in Daughters of the Dust, whether to stay on the island or migrate north, mirrors Sethe’s internal battle in Beloved, where her refusal to confront the past ultimately causes it to haunt her. Daughters of the Dust and Beloved both explore the tension between remembering and forgetting, the weight of ancestral history, and the struggle to move forward while honoring the past. Nana Peazant and Baby Suggs are similar characters as they both serve as spiritual “anchors”. They urge their families to acknowledge where they come from rather than abandoning their roots. Nana Peazant, much like Baby Suggs, embraces ritual, memory, and oral tradition, emphasizing the importance of cultural and familial continuity.