In Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, 124 Bluestone Road is both a character and a setting. Although, it is slightly more like a “hidden Character.” Perhaps it is the most important character of the story a long with Sethe. We see how Morrison makes 124 to stand out within the narrative at the beginning of each section of the novel: “124 WAS DESPITEFUL” (Morrison 3); “124 WAS LOUD” (Morrison 199); “124 WAS QUIET” (Morrison 281). These lines also imply a development of 124 both as a setting, and as a character. Although Morrison personified the beginning of the house as something ‘DESPITEFUL’, throughout the novel, 124 has been changing hand-to-hand with the atmosphere, as well as the flow of the actions within the story and its characters. We can confirm this with the rest two lines presented above: “124 WAS LOUD” (Morrison 199), and “124 WAS QUIET” (Morrison 281).
On the other hand, the house itself is full of history, not just the history of Sethe, but also the history of their previous owners. The house has been a faithful witness from the heyday of Baby Suggs, when she preached the word of God, to the darkest moments, when Sethe murdered her daughter in this same place.
Furthermore, the house, number 124, symbolizes constantly disturbed memories as it recalls the murder of Sethe’s third daughter, and other unforgettable memories of Sethe’s experiences within slavery. The number “3” has multiple meanings with respect to the novel; when considering the house, note that the number “124” is written in chronological order. However, from number “2” to number “4”, the “3” is missing. This refers to Sethe’s missing third child, Beloved. It has to be noted that number “4” represents Denver, and the first two numbers “1” and “2” refer to Howard and Buglar, Sethe’s older children. This remarkable example confirms the importance of the house as a setting, and as a faithful witness character. Therefore, number 124 is a haunted house with respect to Sethe’s murdered baby. Moreover, the house is a stage for the complete occupation, and reclamation of the confrontation between the terrestrial world, and the supernatural world; it is “the bridge” as Morrison implies in chapter five between both worlds.
“The number 124, silent but present.”
Likewise, since the house is located between the Ohio River, which marks the boundary between free and slavery, and a stream that marks the water boundary between the world of living and brightness, and the dead and darkness, 124 is a meeting point of powerful forces. As a conclusion, 124 is considered more like a chlcrater and rather less than a setting, since it has witnessed Sethe’s happiest and warmest days, as well as her worst nightmares. Therefore. the 124 is a faithful witness to the story, and it could even be represented as if it was the narrator of the whole narrative.
This in-class essay was of great pleasantness for me, since I enjoyed talking about a character, but not a usual character, “A Hidden Character”. Even though this literary piece is very short in comparison to all my other texts that I have written throughout this year, I think I was able to manage the essay pretty decently.
I never thought of the house as a character when reading Beloved, but you made it make sense. The idea that the house is also a character and a witness to the family’s history makes the book more fun to read, we can see how the house reacted to Sethe’s acts and what came after. The house then would also be giving Sethe a punishment by constantly remanding her of her dead baby. I like how you dealt with this idea and how you expressed it in the essay.