Beloved [First]

[When Paul D says he doesn't see the tree on her back.] "Whitegirl. That's what she called it. I've never seen it and never will. But that's what she said it looked like. A chokecherry tree. Trunk, branches, and even leaves. Tiny little chokecherry leaves. But that was eighteen years ago. Could have cherries too now for all I know."  

I've read beloved a couple other times for classes (This is going to be my third time reading it) and that quote I always loved reading/ Every time the imagery reaches me in that I am stuck with thinking how beautiful it is and yet it is twisted that I can find it to be beautiful because what gave her that scar is horrifying. Yet to find it horrifying is just as bad (i.e. Paul D) When he first sees the scars he kisses every branch and then after they have sex he is looking at it and he thinks it's ugly. That bothered me because the idea of having a tree on one's back (not necessarily from whipping) is a beautiful image. And it represents a lot more then that. Tree's represent life, family, roots, growth, change, etc. All things that you have and you can't really escape them because they are apart of living. The tree on her back represents not only the time in which she received it but every time after that.

It's quotes/scenes like this where you absolutely see Sethe trying to force the memories out of her head that I find the most fascinating. She was so hopefuly, so innocent sometimes when you see the memories of her at SweetHome. How she thought there would be a wedding ceremony. How she thought she was going to be happy. And then to find out that she doesn't even look at the tree on her back. That's a conscience effort to not look at one's back. She's avoiding remembering and she is doing it on purpose. The idea goes into memory and rememory. This ties into one of my favorite parts that we'll read about with the "school teacher's hat". And she can't just not remember it like she doesn't look at her back in a mirror.