A dead baby in a woman’s body, obsessed with the mother who killed her in an attempt to protect her. Beloved is a character from Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved who apparates out of the river, fresh like a baby, and heads to 124. Once there it is suggested she is the ghost of Sethe’s child when Sethe instantaneously has to pee as if her water broke. Throughout the book, Beloved is a symbol of the festered wound of Sethe’s guilt and of slavery.
Throughout the book, Beloved is a symbol of the festered wound of Sethe’s guilt and of slavery.
When schoolteacher comes to town in an attempt to take back Sethe and her children, Sethe who does not want them to suffer. Kills her baby daughter and attempts to kill the rest of her children. Beloved comes back as a ghost in human form not to instantly enact revenge, but to embody Sethe’s guilt and bring back up the pushed-down feelings of her mom. This acts to bring Sethe back to an emotional being remembering the horrors of the past and the little joys which have faded away. Sethe is not the only one affected, as Paul D’s tin tobacco can is forcibly ripped open. This ultimately leads to Sethe finding out about Halle seeing her get raped and not being able to do a thing. This memory from back when they were in slavery practically breaks her.
Beloved does not solely represent Sethe’s guilt and also embodies the cruelty of slavery with her violent acts and immense strength over others. As well, she is a passage into understanding the events that occurred such as Beloved’s experience before she became a physical being again “day light comes through the cracks and I can see his locked eyes I am not big, small rats do not wait for us to sleep someone is thrashing but there is no room to do it in if we had more to drink we could make tears we cannot make sweat or morning water so the men without skin bring us theirs one time they bring us sweet rocks to suck we are all trying to leave our bodies behind” (Morrison 248). Beloved describes the horrible conditions on a slave boat from the perspective of a survivor of the trip, she takes the form of another soul who has experienced it like her grandmother did. This occurs later in the book around the time she becomes more cruel like slavery.
Throughout her time in the book Beloved has a vast impact on Sethe, Paul D, and Denver. What she comes to represent varies throughout the book at times being Sethe’s guilt and a reminder to the past and at other times being a remembrance of the atrocities of slavery and the slave trade. Through her symbolism Beloved has a profound effect not only on the characters but on the readers of the book.
I should have developed my points more rather than summarize as much as I did.