Reading Beloved by Toni Morrison required focus, as the narrative frequently switched between characters, styles and time periods. The novel was filled with symbolism and metaphors, and left me slightly confused but satisfied.
Morrison included many paranormal or mystical elements in Beloved, from the ghost haunting 124 to Beloved’s mysterious arrival from the water. These extraordinary events serve as symbols for slavery and arriving on the Middle Passage. I learned that even though it was a historical novel, not a fantasy adventure, it’s okay to add elements from other genres and styles. These mystical elements forced readers to look past the literal and apply the events to society and history.
Jumping between years blends history and forces readers to question the difference between the past and present. I thought Morrison intentionally did not note the time jumps, because she was implying that conditions for black people didn’t change much once slavery and the Civil War ended. When Sethe goes into the Clearing with Beloved and Denver, one paragraph she is walking with them and the next she is escaping from slavery with her baby: “Followed by the two girls, down a bright green corridor of oak and horse chestnut, Sethe began to sweat a sweat just like the other one when she woke, mud-caked, on the banks of the Ohio. (paragraph) Amy was gone. Sethe was alone and weak, but alive, and so was her baby,” (page 90). I want to try working flashbacks into my writing. Especially when they are sprinkled throughout the writing, they can gradually help unfold themes and reveal parallels between time frames.
A third literary strategy Morrison exemplified was using recurring symbols. Just like Beloved’s emergence from the water symbolized slaves entering America from the Middle Passage, Sethe’s milk represented her devotion and love for her children. Water represents rebirth. When Sethe talks about Beloved coming back to her (when she is “reborn”), Sethe narrates: “I can sleep like the drowned,” (page 204). When Sethe delivers Denver, “...river water, seeping through any hole it chose, was spreading over Sethe’s hips,”(page 84). Morrison also talks of nature (and its connection to her scar), bridges and winter. Symbolism forces readers to understand and appreciate writing on a deeper level. Symbols effectively provide a way for writers to teach readers lessons.
Morrison included many paranormal or mystical elements in Beloved, from the ghost haunting 124 to Beloved’s mysterious arrival from the water. These extraordinary events serve as symbols for slavery and arriving on the Middle Passage. I learned that even though it was a historical novel, not a fantasy adventure, it’s okay to add elements from other genres and styles. These mystical elements forced readers to look past the literal and apply the events to society and history.
Jumping between years blends history and forces readers to question the difference between the past and present. I thought Morrison intentionally did not note the time jumps, because she was implying that conditions for black people didn’t change much once slavery and the Civil War ended. When Sethe goes into the Clearing with Beloved and Denver, one paragraph she is walking with them and the next she is escaping from slavery with her baby: “Followed by the two girls, down a bright green corridor of oak and horse chestnut, Sethe began to sweat a sweat just like the other one when she woke, mud-caked, on the banks of the Ohio. (paragraph) Amy was gone. Sethe was alone and weak, but alive, and so was her baby,” (page 90). I want to try working flashbacks into my writing. Especially when they are sprinkled throughout the writing, they can gradually help unfold themes and reveal parallels between time frames.
A third literary strategy Morrison exemplified was using recurring symbols. Just like Beloved’s emergence from the water symbolized slaves entering America from the Middle Passage, Sethe’s milk represented her devotion and love for her children. Water represents rebirth. When Sethe talks about Beloved coming back to her (when she is “reborn”), Sethe narrates: “I can sleep like the drowned,” (page 204). When Sethe delivers Denver, “...river water, seeping through any hole it chose, was spreading over Sethe’s hips,”(page 84). Morrison also talks of nature (and its connection to her scar), bridges and winter. Symbolism forces readers to understand and appreciate writing on a deeper level. Symbols effectively provide a way for writers to teach readers lessons.