Beloved

In Beloved, one of the many themes I noticed was how slavery can cloud out a person’s identity and make them feel inferior or different than someone else who may even view the slave (or ex slave) as an equal. For instance, when Paul D is remembering Six-O and his escape attempt with Thirty Mile Woman, the fact that he remembers only having been worth $900 has a profound impact on his self esteem and his sense of value as a human being. When a monetary value is put on a person, that person is able to “assess” their worth in a physical, graspable mean. This can almost assure that no matter what happens after, it is often hard to think of oneself as more than what the price on that person’s head was originally. Connecting to my big question, a message that can be taken from this book is no one can take from you what is inside. They can beat you, rape you, kill your children, and even tie you up, but what is in your mind is yours. The ability to retain a positive image of self and self worth is key, and the writing style employed by Morrison also helps reinforce this. She writes in passages of prose at times, which are important to look at to understand further the loss of identity. For example, in chapter 20, when Denver, Sethe and Beloved’s voices merge, the reader loses a sense of who is speaking, and it becomes almost one narrative rather than three. The merging of their voices show not only the connectedness but the pain caused in all of their lives by what Sethe did to her daughter and the loving-fear Denver has lived in for so long. The switching of roles between Sethe and Beloved was also intriguing to me. As Beloved ages, Sethe becomes more and more like a child and Beloved has almost total authority over her. This can be a symbol for the loss of touch with a person’s inner being when an authoritative figure is around, or someone in a vulnerable position being taken advantage of. Because Sethe loves Beloved so much, she will do whatever she wants, and Beloved wants to keep Sethe to herself so she never leaves again, which causes an issue. When Sethe killed her daughter, Beloved should have stayed dead. Although she wanted to come back and Sethe thought she needed Beloved, the outcome of the novel shows otherwise. When an action takes place, it is best left alone or it can alter the structure of the future and the people in each individual’s life. Beloved was the reincarnate of a person, not the original daughter Sethe loved, and although both individuals had “good” intentions, a replica is never as good as the original and the dead remained dead in the end.