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101 Books to Read Before You Die discussion
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Beloved - Part Three
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Alana
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Jan 31, 2016 01:48PM
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I did some reading on Sparknotes, my standby. :) I like the idea that Beloved, more than just a representation of the murdered daughter, could be a representation of the trials and dehumanization as a whole that the African American community experienced, and, I think, leaving the unspeakable pain and degradation of those tragedies behind as they moved forward into a new kind of life as free people. Beloved's interactions with Paul D. caused him to open the tin box of his heart. Her interactions with Denver caused Denver to eventually go out into the community, work, and build a life bigger and brighter than what she had known staying at home. Beloved's interactions with Sethe eventually ended in Sethe leaving Beloved. I especially liked the last two pages and the repeating line about it not being a story to pass on. Like Beloved's dress that is left behind, the past history remains, but the characters move on or are pushed forward, beyond it.
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I like that, the idea of leaving the ugliness of the past behind you (mistakes, abusive relationships, etc) and not passing it forward either in yourself or to the next generation.
The past is never the past; it becomes a part of us. That does not mean that the trauma of the past has to cripple us, but it does alter us. I can't think of Beloved as the pain and degredation of the past because Beloved was a positive image for me. But, if I think of Beloved as symbolizing our ability to embrace our history, even the parts of that history we dislike, than maybe I can see that. I think I saw that sort of thing in the scars on the back; if they are representations of being a victim of brutality and injustice, they leave one filled with rage or self loathing. But, if they are a sign of a strong tree, the life that comes out of suffering, they can be a touch stone for empowerment.
I was thinking that we, far removed from the years in which this history took place, do need to embrace it and remember it because it's important. But maybe for the characters in this story it was too painful to embrace and instead was something to put behind them? "Me and you, we got more yesterday than anybody. We need some kind of tomorrow," Paul D says (p.273), and that reminds me of looking toward the future instead of the past. But then he goes on to say "You your best thing Sethe. You are." This does remind me of the signs of a "strong tree" as Irene mentions, and the life that comes out of suffering empowered.
I think we are saying similar things. I don't mean to imply that the characters in this novel and the generation they represent should be about some sort of therapeutic embracing of their past. I think moving forward, looking to a better life is appropriate. But, I am afraid that sometimes people want those who suffered brutal injustice to simply move on. We don't want to acknowledge that the scars of injustice remain on a person even if they are not visible. Then, when a person acts out of rage or fear or something else, we condemn them. We don't want to have to face the ramifications of systems of injustice.
I was quite pleasantly surprised that Paul D. returned to Sethe. I expected one unremitting tragedy.
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True, it wasn't completely depressing. Had the potential, but I think she did well steering away from that.
Today is Toni Morrison's 85th birthday!
I too agree with you all about Beloved. I too felt that Beloved is an image of guilt in Sethe and other family members , not a real person or incarnation. And how every one in that place, suffer the crime done by the mother, along with the mother. I think this part clears the ghosts in the story.I read God Help the Child from Morrison and felt Beloved is too different from it. May be the stories are set in different times.
I am glad that I read this book :)
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