‘It’s Not Evil, Just Sad:’ the Ghost of Beloved Takes a Human Form

In pages 60-100 of Toni Morrison’s Beloved, a new character emerges “out of the water” (60). She is in a state of poor health, and she tells Sethe, Paul D and Denver that her name is “Beloved” (62). Upon reading this, I considered it a strange coincidence that this character goes by the same name that had been engraved on Sethe’s baby’s headstone. However, after reading Katie’s blog, “Beloved,” I agreed that Beloved must be the ghost that haunts 124. In the beginning of the story, when Paul D arrives, he asks if they had been experiencing an evil spirit. Sethe replies that “it’s not evil, just sad” (10).

The new character, Beloved, seems to embody this idea. She does not appear to be evil. She enjoys the sugary treats that Denver brings her (66), and she asks Sethe to tell her stories (69). When Paul D interrogates her about her past, she is defenseless. He asks her how she heard of 124 and who brought her there. To these questions she has no definitive answer (77). Beloved is described as being “homeless and without people” (78). She often requires the help of Sethe and Denver.

Strangely, when Paul D has the idea to find her a new home, she instantly chokes on her meal. Her connection with 124 is so strong that the simple thought of making her leave causes her to react traumatically. Paul D does not know how to handle Beloved’s presence at 124. He is uncomfortable with her and wants her to leave, but he cannot force her to leave because the house does not belong to him. In the next chapter, however, Denver and Beloved dance in Denver’s bedroom and Beloved seems cheerful. Denver “had never seen [her] this happy.” I find it interesting that Denver and Beloved get along so well. The fact that they dance and share stories together and consider each other’s “daydreams and misunderstandings more thrilling than understandings could ever be” (80) surely seems to indicate a strong sisterly connection between the girls. I am interested to find out who Beloved actually is and whether or not she is the ghost of Denver’s sister and Sethe’s baby girl.