3 Perspectives

I feel like this part of the book we have read is a like the key to the book. It explains much of what happened with Sweet Home after Mr. Garner died, and also gives us an in depth look into the four major characters; Sethe, Denver, Paul D, and Beloved. Each part of Sethe’s, Denver’s, and Beloved’s chapter was written in how they would think and act. Sethe’s passage was one giant paragraph describing her love for her daughter and her children, and what led up to her actions. It seemed as though the giant paragraph and the style of Sethe’s ramblings took on her personality. She is a proud woman, but does not seem to keep her head on straight when things begin to faze her. She feels the need to defend herself in any way possible, like when she explains her actions to Paul D. This giant paragraph that told of the stories leading up to why she killed Beloved portrayed that exactly. Denver’s really made me question even more if anything happened to her as a baby. When Sethe was found in the shed with her children, she was trying to swing Denver against a wall to kill her. Any kind of trauma like that to a baby, even if they are being thrown around, is dangerous to the development of the brain. The more we read about Denver and she speaks, the more I begin to wonder if there is anything physically wrong with her after the incident. Although she is 18 years old she acts even more childish that I thought. She holds onto small threads of hope like a little child, as in her waiting for Halle. She also describes herself as one with Beloved, when she says she “swallowed her blood right along with my mother’s milk” (242). Beloved’s passage was rather confusing to read. Half the time I was confused as to what she was talking about, but in the end it made sense. We’re not supposed to know everything about the Beloved that was found sleeping on a tree stump, and she is a puzzling girl. She is like a wide eyed doe trying to learn more about people, suck the life out of people, push people away, all the while keeping herself together. By breaking up her passage in fragments and in poetic form, it’s putting the reader in the mindset of Beloved.

Who is Paul D?

A common theme found throughout Toni Morrison’s Beloved is that of identity, especially in the character of Paul D. Because of his past horrific experiences in slavery, he is unable to define himself as a human being. Everything he has ever been has been determined by white men, or his owners, and after becoming free, Paul D has no concept of identity. After leaving Sethe, Paul D’s “tobacco tin” heart is “blown open”. Much of his heartbreaking past is revealed. Paul D is unsure of whether or not he truly is a man or that he was only a man because Mr. Garner made him one. He questions, “was that Garner’s gift or his own will?” and “Did a wheiteman saying it make it so?” (260). Though Garner made his slaves “men”, “Paul D believed schoolteacher broke into children what Garner had raised into men” (160). One can imagine why a slave, such as Paul D, may have trouble identifying with himself. After being told what to do for so long, how does one begin to make his own decisions? It is at this moment in the novel that there is a turning point in Paul D’s character. The reader is relieved and horrified at the same time to finally discover the full story behind Paul D’s tobacco tin. He now becomes a character with which the reader can sympathize. His past has created such confusion and heartbreak that Paul D can no longer find himself. Paul D’s revelation ends with Stamp Paid’s mentioning of Beloved. Stamp Paid asks, “Is she what run you off?” (277) and Paul D replies with a shudder that leaves the reader wondering the same thing he himself is in the last lines of the chapter—“Why?” (277).

This segment of Beloved seemed to be broken up into two different sections for me. The first section was certainly the more confusing of the two, because of the blending of narrators. I understood that the first “chapter” where this began was Sethe speaking (“Beloved, she my daughter.”), the second was Denver (“Beloved is my sister.”), but the third was not so clear. I honestly have no idea who is speaking. The fourth “chapter” was definitely a blending of Sethe and Denver (and possibly that third mysterious speaker?), but I had trouble keeping up with who was speaking when. I kept having to retrace my steps to find a definable moment. For example, “They tried that once, but I stopped them,” is definitely Sethe speaking.
I wish I understood Morrison’s motivation for putting in this section, for doing it the way that she did.
The second section that I identified was all plot and I was extremely grateful for it. A lot of loose ends were tied and I had a whole new understanding. We FINALLY went back to the beginning and learned how and why they all left Sweet Home. We know what happened to Sixo and the other Paul’s. Again, coming to this better understanding of things was a relief.
I do wonder, though, if learning about the beginning of the story near the end of the book was so unsettling to me because a chronological order is logical and simply easier to follow, or if because, as a reader, I’m just used to the beginning at the beginning. It’s something to continue to consider.

Not that crazy

The idea of killing your own child as a means of saving them from a horrible life is something that I keep thinking about even when I’m not in class or reading this book. Initially I feel like I would do anything to ensure the survival of my children, but I have never been a slave. When I try to imagine what that must have been like, Sethe’s actions don’t seem so crazy to me.
The summer after I graduated high school I worked at a factory full-time and at a grocery store part-time. Some days it would already be hot and sticky outside when I got to work at 7 a.m. I’d be sweating all day, except for two breaks and a lunch when I got to sit in the air conditioning. Then I’d drive to the grocery store and work until 10 at night. I’d get home and my feet and my knees and my back would hurt. I hated it, but I was saving money for a new car and once I got enough money and reached my goal I could stop. Hell, if I had decided I didn’t want a new car, I could have just quit one job and worked less. No big deal. But I couldn’t imagine having to work like that every day with no end in sight. Also knowing that I was working for something helped get me through the day. Slaves were just working. There was no retirement they were working for, no light at the end of the tunnel. And that’s just the work. I couldn’t imagine working like that and being whipped and abused and treated like shit and having to just take it, and then waking up the next morning only to have to do it all over again. I don’t know if I could handle something like that mentally. I don’t know if I would want to live if that was going to be my life.
So when I look at it that way, I don’t think what Sethe did was crazy at all.

Outside of Sweet Home

In this section of Beloved, Morrison greatly emphasizes the importance of space, physical space, especially places. As we’ve noticed from the beginning chapters, every location mentioned in the story is linked to a rememory, the rememory of Sweet Home, or Alfred, Georgia. Some characters are also linked to an assigned space. Sixo’s lover, for example, is only referred to as the “Thirty Mile Woman” because Sixo had to travel thirty miles away from Sweet Home to see her. This woman’s name in the story suggests that Sweet Home was more or less the center of the world. In fact, even when the woman escapes from Schoolteacher and is currently no longer thirty miles away, but just outside of Sweet Home, she is still referred to as “Thirty Mile Woman.” I find it interesting that this woman is never given a proper name, yet her baby, “Seven-O,” is given a name that links him to his father. While the baby is given a proper name that secures family connections, the mother of the child is still not given a proper name which continues to separate her from Sweet Home, or perhaps separates Sweet Home from the rest of the world.
The bubble that is Sweet Home also defines manhood but in two completely opposite ways. In the first part of the novel we learn that all the male slaves of Sweet Home were men, according to Mr. Garner. This is different from all the slaves outside of Sweet Home who were not raised to be men. But on page 260, Paul D wonders about the manliness of Sixo and Halle and states that “it was always clear […] that those two were men whether Garner said so or not.” While Paul D may have many reasons for thinking this, he does mention one aspect of Halle and Sixo that separate them from the other slaves and Sweet Home. Morrison writes, “Only Sixo, who has been stealing away to see his woman, and Halle, who has been hired away for years, know what lies outside Sweet Home and how to get there” (263). It is interesting that the only two men Paul D know for sure are true men are also the only two men who have been away from Sweet Home, who “know what lies outside Sweet Home.” In this definition of manhood, being away from Sweet Home is what actually matters.

Through Schoolteacher's Eyes

About halfway through the novel, Beloved, the reader learns the big “secret” of the novel, of what the story has been leading up to thus far. Sethe, in an attempt born out of the mysterious bonds of love, tries to save her children, and in doing so, injures her sons and murders her two-year old daughter (175). Toni Morrison reveals this horrific event by beginning with the perspective of schoolteacher.

The viewpoint of schoolteacher is interesting, because in his version of what he sees Sethe do, he is almost compassionate. At first glance, schoolteacher seems to have some decency in him when he talks about Sethe. However, that façade is soon ruined upon closer examination of the text. Schoolteacher notices all the:

nigger eyes…Little nigger-boy eyes open in sawdust; little nigger girl eyes staring between the wet fingers that held her face so her head wouldn’t fall off; the little nigger-baby eyes crinkling up to cry in the arms of the old nigger whose own eyes were nothing but slivers looking down at his feet. But the worst ones were those of the nigger woman who looked like she didn’t have any. Since the whites in them had disappeared and since they were as black as her skin, she looked blind (177).

Eyes are considered to be portals to the “soul,” which is a considered to be a human trait; it is a quality that only humans have. So, by actively noticing all the ex-slaves’ eyes, he is humanizing them. Schoolteacher brings them up to his level as a human being, and perhaps there is some compassion. However, the word “eyes” is always prefaced with the word “nigger.” The n-word becomes an adjective to specify what kind of eyes they have, and separates them from schoolteacher and his white counterparts. Instead of compassion and empathy, the most emotion schoolteacher is moved to is that of pity; the pity of his inferiors. Furthermore, he notices that Sethe’s eyes are all black. They have no more white. Schoolteacher is white and Sethe is black. In his view, white is good and superior and human. Sethe no longer has any trace of white in her eyes and by extension, her soul. For what she has done, schoolteacher can no longer see her as human and thus, capable of good.

Additionally, schoolteacher is not moved at all by Sethe’s plight since he simply takes off after arriving upon the gruesome scene and considers them all as property lost. Sethe was “the woman schoolteacher bragged about, the one he said made fine ink, damn good soup, pressed his collars the way he liked besides having at least ten breeding years left. But now she’d gone wild…The whole lot was lost now” (176). He speaks of Sethe in dehumanizing terms. He frequently makes a comparison between the slaves and animals. Breeding is what animals do, or rather what people have domesticated them to do. So Sethe is merely an animal and a piece of property to schoolteacher. Therefore, the absolutely horrific and gruesome scene he comes upon, does not move him. What Sethe does to her own child is rendered as animalistic; as if the infanticide were nothing more than a lion hunting for its food.

Ironically, although schoolteacher is the white man and thus the supposed “superior” to all the slaves, he has no name. He is simply referred to by his occupation without any distinction, not even any capitalization. Schoolteacher has no identity and identity is a key human trait. Thus, the lack of identity is dehumanizing. Schoolteacher, through his apathy and racism, is really the one who is an “animal.”

Let's Save Mr. Garner's Good Name

Let's not trash Mr. Garner because he likes to take a little pride in his work. Let's look at this relatively, and perhaps we can understand why people, such as Mr. Garner, may have thought as slaves as inferior people. They come from a country where, especially for the time, they had very little contemporary technology. They lived in tribes, wore little clothing, had little knowledge of the rest of the world, and raided each other's villages with machetes hacking up men, women and children alike. Then the people who hack the villages collect the survivors, the ones who look like they may make good trade bait for the Europeans and people living in the New World, and then sell them as slaves in exchange for goods, gold, spices, etc. This view may be a little one-sided yes, but let's think about the time period. The 1800's, there was no form of mass communication, and the only information these slave owners were receiving was coming from American Media (newspapers, town criers). From their perspective they were being sold these barbaric people, who lived in harsh conditions and ruthlessly carved each other's families apart with knifes. And on top of that, these slaves were being sold by other Africans. So should we really call him a racist with the information given? Everyone is bias toward their own country, of course Americans are gonna think themselves a superior people.

So with that said, Mr. Garner of course was a racist like most during this time, but this does not make him a bad person. "Garner called and announced them men--but only on Sweet Home, and by his leave. Was he naming what he saw or creating what he did not?" (260). Yes, he referred only to his slaves as "men" and no others. And yes, it was probably because he thought that he had reformed these savages into men, but is that a bad thing? During a time where no one gave a damn about these people, during a time where they were seen as barbaric, Mr. Garner steps up and takes it upon himself to turn these people into real men. He doesn't care about what other noble white people will think of him when he refers to his slaves as "men." It would even "sometimes [lead to] a fight" (13). Think of that . . . This noble is fighting other white slave owners because he calls his slaves men in public. Let's not forget that even Paul D mentions that slaves were "spoiled" under Mr. Garner because of all the rights he gave them that were considered "against the law" (267). These rights included "letting niggers hire out their own time to buy themselves. He even let em have guns!" (267). Those are two pretty big rights to be giving such a hated race during such a racist time.

So let's review. Was Mr. Garner a bad person? No he was not, and I will not sit here and read these blogs while people drag his good name through the mud. He gave his slaves rights, actually fist fought other whites "because he called his niggers men," and did all he could to turn them into "people" when the rest of society thought of them as savages (13). It's ABSOLUTELY ABSURD TO SAY THIS KIND OF TREATMENT OF SLAVES IS WORSE THAN VIOLENCE. I would much rather have a colony of slaves loving life, who can get married, and can buy their freedom, than a colony of slaves who get whipped, beaten, raped, or killed for not picking enough cotton or attempting to learn to read. I would bet that most people who went through slavery would agree that they wouldn't have minded staking it out a few more years if it could have been done without the lynchings.

Mr. Garner: The "Nice" Slave Owner

A theme that I found to be intriguing was that of Mr. Garner.  He is reported as a nice man, a man who calls his slaves "men," never yells, and one who teaches Halle how to "figure."  Everyone, including his slaves, is sad when he passes.

Sethe as a young girl specifically thinks that Sweet Home is a fine place to be because no one ever yells at her.  He even let Halle buy his mother with work, something that was almost completely unheard of.  After all, who pays their slaves for work?  A slave by definition is someone who works unpaid labor.

The irony of the situation is that while Mr. Garner is considered such a nice man, he still has slaves.  He is still racist, whether or not he is "nice" about it.  If he was truly a good man, he wouldn't have slaves at all.  He would understand how unjust, how inhumane it is to have slaves.

This idea is finally questioned by Paul D as he sits reflecting on the night of Sethe's escape:  "Garner called and announced them men--but only on Sweet Home, and by his leave.  Was he naming what he saw or creating what he did not?" (260).  This insight to Paul D's mind gives a more realistic view of Mr. Garner.  Sure, he called his slaves men, something other slave owners would never do.  But Mr. Garner would not call them men if they were not specifically his slaves.  Paul D's question is essential:  Did Mr. Garner really see them as men, or did he believe that he personally made them into men?  Of course the answer is the latter.  Mr. Garner prides himself in having slaves that are "men," but he does not believe that all slaves are men.  In fact, if he believes blacks should be slaves at all, then he cannot consider all blacks to be men.

I would argue that this kind of attitude toward slavery is almost worse than violence.  If Garner had not died suddenly and Schoolteacher had not shown up to make their situation worse, the slaves at Sweet Home may have lived complacent, sedentary lives.  The Garners' practice of slavery had tricked them into believing that things weren't so bad.  Sethe was satisfied with her life working with Mrs. Garner who never said a mean word to her.  She liked bringing flowers into the kitchen to pretend it was hers.  Imagine if everyone in the south took this approach!  Slavery probably would have drawn much less attention and lasted much longer in America, as long as it was "nice" slavery.  Sethe may have never even understood her own oppression or what it was like to have her own house, her own kitchen, to love her children as her own.  That, to me, would have been the biggest travesty of all.

Agreeing with Paul D

I'm not saying that what Sethe did makes no sense, because it did. I just don't agree with it. And I finally figured out why when I read the line "Who in the world is he willing to die for?" on page 239. And I immediately thought, "Sethe, you didn't die for anyone. You killed for someone. And if there's one person I'd never be willing to kill, it's the person I'm willing to kill for." And, I have to admit that if Sethe asked me that question, I'd have to honestly admit that I wasn't sure I was willing to kill for someone. But then, I haven't lived her life. However, I saw what she did as very similar to what schoolteacher did to her. That is, she didn't give her children a choice in their lives (Beloved more than any of the others). Sure, if she hadn't done that, the only choice would have been to go back to Sweet Home, but then they could have chosen their own way of resistance. There was another way, like Paul D said, and that was to teach them what she knew about being free. And if she was punished for that, well, then she would be dying for them.

Having never lived the life of a slave, I realize that my naivete must be making some people feel a little awkward. But I stand by what I said.

On Tuesday, when we divided up into groups, someone in my group brought up the constrast of gruesome and cute of Buglar and Howard holding hands and it being revealed that they did that because they were scared of their mother trying to kill them. I thought that sounded similar to the beautiful tree on Sethe's back, versus the gruesomeness of how it came to be. Now, in the chapter that Denver narrates, I've found another one: Earlier, Denver told Beloved not to tell Sethe who she was. At the time, it seemed like two sisters keeping secrets from their parents, that is, normal and a little heart-warming. However, we later find out that it was because Denver was afraid Sethe would kill Beloved again. I don't exactly find that gruesome, but it would be a huge stretch to say that it's heartwarming.

The Perpetuating Confusion and Paul D's Haunted Past

An interesting aspect of this passage form Beloved is the change in narration styles throughout four chapters.  While I thought the beginning of this novel was confusing, I was only further bewildered upon reading these chapters.  The first chapter is narrated by Sethe herself, as can be seen when she starts by saying, "Beloved, she my daughter".  The next is narrated by Denver, seen when she says, "Beloved is my sister".  The third chapter is narrated by Beloved herself, beginning by saying, "I am Beloved and she is mine".  The fourth chapter, however, while it begins the same way as the chapter narrated by Beloved, changes into a sort of stream of consciousness between Sethe, Denver, and Beloved interchangeably.  This frequent and often unnoticeable change in narrators made these chapters extremely confusing for me to read as I was constantly reminding myself of who was talking.  Yet, while the style is confusing, I believe it is used to further emphasize the themes of the story.  We talked in class about the significance of circles as symbols of perpetuating cycles, and I see this change in narrating style as a symbol of the perpetuation as well.  The change from the point of views shows the reader the feelings of not just the third person narrator, but Sethe, Denver, and Beloved as well.  Therefore, by using these different, albeit confusing, narrating styles, the reader is given a more in depth look at the story itself while maintaining focus on the themes of the novel.

A second interesting aspect of this passage is the chapter in which Paul D is sitting on the steps of the church remembering his days as a slave.  I found the chapter to be very powerful, not only because of the memories unearthed by Paul D, but mainly because of the pain they cause him simply to remember them.  Paul D, previously described as stoic yet with a "tobacco tin" rusted shut as a heart, is now described as "blown open, spilled contents that floated freely and made him their play and prey".  The character of Paul D changes from being a fairly resilient man to a very vulnerable one in this scene.  His shaky emotional state is only further augmented by his drinking, no doubt used to numb the pain inflicted by his haunting memories of his slavery.  When he talks about the price people paid for him, we find out in this scene that Paul D has a very pessimistic view about slavery.  Paul D refers to African Americans as, "property that reproduced itself without cost".  While this is an extremely cynical way of looking at it, it is essentially true for that time period and somewhat surprising that Paul D would recognize that about himself.  Therefore, while Paul D is struggling to deal with his haunted past and resorts to alcohol to comfort himself, it is somewhat sobering to know that he is finally beginning to come to terms with his enslavement.

The Mystery Woman

The introduction of Beloved shows how Denver is somewhat dependent on the ghost of Sethe’s first daughter, who died at age two. When Paul D shooed the ghost away, I wondered if it would ever return. The return of Beloved, in my opinion, causes a lot of tension among all the characters. At first, Beloved is just categorized as a woman who emerged from the water. By not expressing her identity in the beginning of this section, and by handing out subtle clues, Morrison creates a mystery in which the reader must figure out what is the significance of this mystery woman, Beloved.
The first clue as to whom Beloved is, is the simple fact that she answers to Beloved, which is what Sethe had engraved on her baby’s tombstone. Later, Morrison describes her with brand new, soft hands and feet- much like an infant. While Morrison describes this mystery woman, she also gives the detail that Beloved has a piece of lace around her neck, which would inevitably hide the scar from where her throat was slit.
While Morrison gives these subtle clues as to the woman’s true identity, she also uses mysterious details to make it so Sethe won’t know Beloved’s true identity. For instance, Sethe is mesmerized by Beloved’s low, deep, slow voice. Beloved’s voice is somewhat hypnotic, because after a few weeks, Sethe and Denver still weren’t used to the tone. After five weeks, the family at 124 knew just as much about Beloved as the day she showed up, which adds to her mysterious nature. While it seems obvious to the reader, and Denver, who this mystery woman is, Sethe probably cannot tell who she is because she has suppressed so many memories about her past. Sethe probably does not want to imagine what the grown up version of her slain child would look like, or how she would talk. By adding this detail, that Sethe does not know whom Beloved is, Morrison lets the reader become involved in not only Sethe’s mind, but also shows how her mind suppresses these memories.
Everyone in the novel seems fascinated by Beloved, except Paul D. Paul D seems annoyed with the woman, much like he was with her ghost at the beginning of the story. I think that Denver knew for a while the truth to Beloved’s identity, because she used to consider the ghost company, and she felt a familiarity when Beloved entered 124. Sethe, who is also fascinated by this woman feels some sort of connection to her, but isn’t able to pinpoint the truth.

The Power of Words

Beloved’s supernatural effect on the inhabitants of 124 is most profoundly felt in her ability to heal them through their own stories. Initially, Sethe detests and fears relating the horrors of her own life, of her past, to others; but when Beloved shows up and savors every detail about Sethe, she “found herself wanting to [tell stories], liking it. Perhaps it was Beloved’s distance from the events itself, or her thirst for hearing it – in any case it was an unexpected pleasure” (69). While she had previously attempted to shun all memories from her past because “every mention of her past life hurt,” Sethe begins to realize that this hurt can eventually lead to emotional healing (69). Instead of storing up all of her memories of slavery, she can release them and begin to release some of the pain that they carry. She even lets herself laugh briefly at one of her most painful memories (of her mother showing her where she had been branded), before that memory escapes her careful control over it and reminds her “something she had forgotten she knew” (73) – something she was thus unprepared to deal with emotionally at that time. This newly-remembered vision of Nan telling her about her conception (and its emotional significance for her mother) causes a surge of anger, followed by a longing for Baby Suggs, to overcome her momentarily – which then dissipates into a “quiet following the splash” (74), implying that this release of her emotions has created an inner peace for Sethe. However, some stories, like Paul D’s memory of the bit, are still too painful to be told as they might “push [Paul D and Sethe] back to a place they couldn’t get back from” – a place where they would forever remain emotionally shackled by their painful memories of slave life (86). Denver, though, discovers and manipulates story-telling to her advantage as much as she can. She throws all of her effort into “construct[ing] out of the strings she had heard all her life a net to hold Beloved”: Beloved, the provider of “a racing heart, dreaminess, society, danger, beauty” – everything that Denver longs for (90). So strong is Denver’s exertion in her description of her own birth that she “was seeing it now and feeling it – through Beloved. Feeling how it must have felt to her mother” (89). By trying so hard to keep Beloved through her words, Denver unknowingly creates a “rememory” for herself of her mother’s experience – a tangible, emotional vision of events that occurred before (and even while) she was born that Sethe wanted to shield her from, but couldn’t; because the power of words in the telling was strong enough to overcome Sethe’s need to prevent her daughter from “[going] there,” to the palpable slavery of her own past (44).

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.

Beloved's Purpose

Beloved is so mysterious making me confused on her role in the book. At first I thought she was simply another character who had entered, but soon realized that was not the case. I believe Beloved plays as representation of history. When Denver asks Beloved what her previous home or life was like she replies that it was “Dark” (88). She continues to say “I’m small in the place” and “A lot of people is down there. Some is dead” (88). This to me could be translated as being an African American during times of slavery. People were dying from starvation and horrible lifestyles and being small symbolizes having no power and just being another slave.

Although I think Beloved symbolizes the history of African Americans and slaves as general—she is also potentially Sethe’s daughter. As Denver and Beloved argue a little, Beloved reminds Denver “She is the one I need” (89). Beloved is relying on seeing Sethe –this is also portrayed from earlier in the book when she would wait for Sethe’s return every day and walk her to the house. When Beloved says, “I belong here”(89) it makes it seem as though this is where she has been previously. Perhaps she is the ghost who haunted this house yet now in a different form.

As of now in the book, Paul D. is the only one who finds Beloved’s character suspicious, but I feel that things will soon heat up to what her real identity and purpose will be. Whatever Beloved’s role may be, it is clear that she is magical and powerful. For example, “Denver was seeing it now and feeling it—through Beloved” (91). Denver is mesmerized by Beloved and constantly wants to watch her and be in her company. Her presence changes though as Denver realizes Beloveds true character when she says, “Then stay, but don’t never tell me what to do. Don’t never do that” (89) even though Beloved is living in her house and for all they know she is a complete stranger. Beloved also instigates the discussion of Paul D. and Sethe’s sad history. A conversation about holding on to people turns into the truth about Sethe and Halle’s parting.

As of now I think Beloved represents the horrific history of African American slaves and also the death of Sethe’s first-born child. I am excited to see how it plays out, as I am very confused at the time being.

I want to start out by saying that I'm a little confused right now. When the character of Beloved enters in the story, I thought it was just a coincidence that this runaway girl and Sethe's "dead" daughter have the same name. But then I kept reading and realized that this might be Sethe's daughter, but I'm still not absolutely sure it is her. The fact that Beloved says she needs Sethe and is so drawn to her makes me think it could really be her daughter but we are told in the beginning of the story that she died around the age of two. I'm sure as I keep reading I'll figure this out but right now I'm not sure how Beloved has a connection to Sethe or anyone else for that matter.

Something that stood out to me during this section of the book was the great amount of story telling. So far, most of the characters have told or will probably continue to tell stories as way of giving out information and as a link to healing. I think there is a link between story telling and healing because most of these characters have never talked about their past, and in doing so they are able to almost re-live that moment and just open up to someone else about the pain or torture they received in the past. Even though Sethe says she doesn't like telling stories, when she does tell Denver or whoever else her stories she finds she actually feels better. Sometimes it's better to get everything out in the open rather than keep it in to yourself, especially for Sethe. 

When Denver is telling Beloved the story about her mother giving birth, she says while she is telling the story that she can actually feel what her mother went through. Maybe story telling is a way to reconnect to the past and as I said earlier, re-live the past. I think Beloved finds so much comfort in these stories because (if she is really Sethe's daughter) than she is hearing about her mother's past, things she's never heard before and is probably very eager to hear. I think story telling is going to continue throughout this book because it is a good way to relay information while also being able to feel what happened during the event that took place in the past.

Beloved; Escape from your rememory

Through Toni Morrison’s work Beloved, the characters are gradually revealed, through the same stories told with more and more detail as the book progresses. With the introduction of the character Beloved, the histories and the individual stories of each character become more developed, Beloved serving as a tool for each character to learn more about themselves. As Beloved enters the narrative, the two main characters, Sele and Denver know themselves and each other in a greater way, with Beloved’s questions a device in which the characters are forced to delve within the rememory of their lives; the stories that will always be a part of them. Interestingly enough, as Beloved enters the lives of these two women, Morrison develops the dislike of Paul D for Beloved, because, he feels that she has taken his role as comforter and strength to these women. Furthermore, Beloved, instead of enriching the life of Paul D serves as a symbol of brokenness for the future of his newly formed ‘family’.
Beloved, though her desire for knowledge is a character who the two women feel comfortable with, Sele admitting “Even with Paul D…whom she could talk with…the hurt was always there-“ “But, as she began telling about the earrings, she found herself wanting to, liking it…in any case it was an unexpected pleasure” (69). This quote introduces the separation of degrees of closeness of Beloved to Sele and Sele to Paul D, indicating that Sele, a formerly uprooted character has found a stability in her life that cannot be offered by Paul D, who is a symbol of stability within 124. Paul D’s own words after his image of the cohesive family of the carnival, “And on the way home…the shadows of three people still held hands”(59), expresses that that future has been ‘destroyed’ by Beloved with the words “And damn! a water drinking woman fell sick, got took in, healed, and hadn’t moved a peg since”(79). This development of Paul D’s consciousness places Beloved in a position allowing her to be the cause of his separation from the two women. By this phrase, he develops a cause and effect between Beloved and a foreshadowing of the coming events, a further separation from the women of the household, also foreshadowed by his earlier dissatisfaction after sex with Sele, a moment he had been lusting for for twenty-five years.
Through the novel, Morrison also develops Beloved to be the key to a stronger relationship between mother and daughter. “Now, watching Beloved’s alert and hungry face..Denver began to see what she was saying and not just to hear it” (91), in response to the story of Denver’s birth, opens a new revelation of Denver’s character to the reader, indicating a paradigm towards her mother’s experiences. Beloved allows Denver to enter into the memory of her mother’s past, allowing her to feel the emotions and complete situations of “this nineteen year old slave girl…tired, scared maybe, and maybe even lost” (91). Through the character Beloved, Morrison introduces the aspect of internal change within the lives of these characters Beloved serving as a catalyst for change. Allowing Sele to confront her memories, and Denver, a very shy and isolated young woman to experience life free from loneliness are the changes Beloved brings on to this family. “Nothing was out there that this sister-girl did not provide in abundance: a racing heart, dreaminess, society, danger, beauty” (90). Beloved, for Denver, as well as Sele, is everything the two women could wish for, a new beginning in life that does not carry the emotional load of memories and rememories.

Dearly Beloved

Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved was for me an extremely difficult read to initially comprehend. The style it is written in can be described as patchwork - a central narrative that is constructed out of interactions among the characters and sprits living in house # 124 with digressions into the past life of Sethe. I had to read and reread the first ten pages just to stay afloat above the torrent of information that was presented to me in a style that took many pages to get used to.

Morrison has a great way of blending fantasy with reality. The hauntings with which Sethe’s house is plagued are referenced as a terrible nuisance, though with a passive acceptance as something that must be felt by the family. I found that colors and imagery pervaded everything from the past histories of these characters to their present reality in the house. The symbol of the tree, in particular, has deep implications. It represents not only the rape and struggle upon the Sweet Home farm experienced by Sethe – the cherrywood tree deeply etched into her back - but also a certain maternal care and love to which Denver and Beloved cling. In Ohio, Sethe has become withdrawn from her family because of the death of her baby and the ensuing hauntings that have marginalized the relationship with her daughter. Denver receives much wanted motherly affection by withdrawing toward the woods behind the house, particularly the tree sanctuary. “Veiled and protected by the live green walls, she felt ripe and clear, and salvation was as easy as a wish.” (35) This feeling of protection has roots in Sethe’s escape from Sweet Home farm while pregnant. The sanctuary is the womb of Sethe that protected Denver during this escape, and it is the place where Denver feels protection and love, now lacking in the complicated relationship with her mother. Denver is returning to the womb of her mother that has, in the past, afforded her sanctuary.
Upon the return from the carnival, Sethe relieves herself behind the house before she has a chance of examining the stranger that has appeared in their yard. But, in fact, this is a representation of her giving birth, or rather rebirth, to her dead daughter, as represented by Beloved. It is only after this “breaking of water” that runs and runs out of Sethe that Beloved is seen by the family. And coincidentally, Beloved appears from the direction of this “womb” tree sanctuary.

What was confusing was the manner in which this information was presented, and I had trouble figuring out if I was supposed to know what the characters were talking about or not, perhaps having not read carefully enough. Sorting it all out, however, I realized that the gaps and holes would be filled through the flashbacks and interactions between the characters and that the fragmentation was on purpose. I look forward to reading about Beloved and what she brings to the family.

Beloved's Return

After reading the first 100 pages in Beloved, the main response I have is to Beloved. Does Sethe really not know who she is? Why has she returned? I wondered about the timing--perhaps since Paul D "got rid of the baby ghost," she found another way to be with Sethe. She says to Denver, "She is the one I need...She is the one I have to have," (89) referring to Sethe. Denver is hurt by this, as so far in this novel the main characterization of Denver is about her loneliness. She wants a friend and she wants attention. Denver wants Beloved to be hers and I wonder about Beloved's feelings for Denver. Does she feel resentful? She says of Sethe, "She left me behind" (89), both girls are conscious of the reason this happened, that Sethe was pregnant with Denver. SO far, Beloved does not seem spiteful, but as a ghost she was always causing destruction and letting her presence be known. Sethe says that the ghost is only sad, but perhaps we will see this develop as Beloved becomes stronger and more purposeful.
Her development does seem to be that of a baby's in ways, she is small and sickly, and initially incontinent (64), which might indicate the development of a small child. She also doesn't talk much and the phrases she forms are often puzzling or simple. Sethe also experiences a strange bladder episode upon first seeing Beloved. I'm not sure if this was to foreshadow Beloved's incontinence or to demonstrate some sort of connection between the two of them.
Ultimately, Beloved's character is the most interesting and mysterious and will no doubt be developed further. Hopefully we will get answers about why she is back at 124 soon.

A Beloved

After reading this far in the book I can say that I am pleasantly surprised by the story. I have read another one of Toni Morrison's books and I didn't really like it, but there is something about this book that I really like so far. In the latest section that I read I found very interesting. The appearance of Beloved is just really strange and kind of mystifying. I guess that she was the baby that had died, but it still was just really odd. Some some reason, whenever they talked about her I thought of Samera from the movie "The Ring". I think it was because of how creepy Beloved sounded from the descriptions of her. I think that she is a really interesting character and also a good plot device used to show more of the character's pasts so we can learn more about who they are. When she was first introduced I suspected that she was the physical manifestation of the dead baby just by her name. What I thought was odd was how mean and evil the baby seemed when it was a ghost, but now she was nicer, but still creepy. I don't really see how that connects yet, but hopefully it will become more clear later on in the story. When Beloved finally told Denver who she really was, I found it really interesting how she described being dead and in 'the other place'. Then when she described how she came to be in front of their house, that was just weird. Anywho, I really like this book so far and now with Beloved thrown into the mix, I can only expect this story to get much more interesting and probably a little stranger.

‘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.