Gabe Owens Ms. Fields AP English Literature 3 December 2015 Settings in Beloved The settings of 124 and Sweet Home in the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison play a significant role in shaping the novel as well as the lives of the major characters. Specifically, Sethe’s long journey from Sweet Home to 124, her time spent in each place, and her haunting memories and experiences shaped her character in unique and complex ways. While reading this book, readers can clearly identify distinctions, both major and minor, between 124 and Sweet Home. Toni Morrison’s clever diction and descriptive phrases help highlight these many differences and at times leave the reader in a state of perplexed awe. While Sweet Home serves as a reminder of the horrific …show more content…
slavery endured by Sethe and her fellow slaves, the memories and identities formed as a result of the slaves’ experiences at the home remained with them through their time at the more peaceful shelter of 124. With the novel opening and closing at 124, the significance of this setting cannot be overlooked. A small house at the very end of a street, 124 Bluestone Road, in its emotionally fluctuating community, is isolated and creepy. Not only is the house ghost filled and haunted, but many other aspects of the dwelling pose enigmas for readers. For example, the numbers 124 consist of a sequence missing the number 3. Beloved was Sethe’s third child and was killed, thus creating a void perhaps symbolized through the absence of the number 3. These small mysteries and fascinating elements add to the overall mystique and suspenseful beauty of this novel. The death associated with the house is made clear, as many people had previously died inside the house leaving their spirits behind to haunt all subsequent inhabitants, such as Howard and Buglar, who eventually fled because of the ghosts. Denver describes the spirit and ghost of her dead sister who roams the house as “Rebuked. Lonely and rebuked” (16). Beloved possesses the house in a way that is not truly scary or threatening to Denver, but to Paul D poses a threat. Throughout the novel, the house and the presence of the spirits have a positive attraction towards women, while most men are repelled and scared off. Many of these seemly coincidental occurrences and details are clearly a part of Morrison’s intentions to illuminate important concepts regarding the nature of 124. Morrison also personifies the house, specifically shown in the three opening quotes of each of the three parts of the novel, “124 was spiteful” (1), “124 was loud” (199), “124 was quiet” (281). Regarding the community of 124, Sethe finds herself both shunned and supported shown through the alternating opening statements in each part of the novel. A prime example of the houses’ animate characteristics is illustrated when Denver approaches the house “regarding it, as she always did, as a person rather than a structure” (35). Additionally, when fighting with the ghost, Paul D caused mayhem in 124 breaking objects and even “screaming back at the screaming house” (22). Through usage of such language, Morrison has formed 124 into a character instead of simply a structure. 124’s significance as a setting can be illustrated and analyzed through multiple angles such as the preceding examples; however, its significance is artfully summarized in this single quote as Denver seeks help for her mother: Morrison states, “she would have to leave the yard; step off the edge of the world” (286). While Sweet Home is consumed by the evils and brutality of slavery, Sethe criticizes its evil yet also praises the plantation for its beauty and comfort. Originally owned by the relatively kind slaveowners known as the Garner's, the plantation is later handed over to the cruel school teacher after the death of Mrs. Garner’s husband. While living on this plantation, the slaves each developed identities, bonds, and traits which they would maintain for years to come. Sethe, who experienced rape, brutality, extreme racism, and murder still felt as if Sweet Home was her first true home. However, although Sethe makes it apparent she admires the outer beauty and physical features of Sweet Home, one can see Sethe’s true despise for the brutality and barbarism underneath the mere surface. No matter how you look at it, what goes on inside Sweet Home is not so sweet. Sethe’s feelings towards her slave home are described when Morrison writes, “there was not a leaf on that farm that did not make her want to scream, it rolled itself out before her in shameless beauty. It never looked as terrible as it was and it made her wonder if hell was a pretty place too” (7). The sentimental emotions expressed by many characters toward Sweet Home allow and serve as a way for them to overlook the ruthless slavery which occurred there. Sethe has a harder time than other characters blocking out her memories of the past, specifically her murder of her child. Understandable to some, yet savage and ruthless to others, Sethe’s killing of her daughter was a desperate and rash action performed with little understanding of the guilt and regret that would loom ahead. She was also unable to foresee the surprising reincarnation of her vengeful daughter Beloved. However, when putting oneself into Sethe’s shoes, who was mentally distraught by the hanging of Paul A and the burning of Sixo, was subject to severe discrimination and humiliation, and was a victim of rape and physical abuse including the theft of her own milk, it is understandable why she wouldn’t want her daughter to go through the same thing. All of the previously listed atrocities occurred at Sweet Home, excluding the murder of Beloved which was carried out at 124. When Denver questions Paul D and Sethe regarding their previous home saying, “How come everybody run off from Sweet Home can’t stop talking about it? Look like if it was so sweet you would have stayed” (16), Paul D simply acknowledges the fact, responding "She's right, Sethe. It wasn't sweet and it sure wasn't home” (16), Sethe rebutes saying, “But it's where we were,...All together. Comes back whether we want it or not" (16). Sethe’s connection and affection for Sweet Home, despite all the horrific memories stemming from it, exposes a significant aspect of her character in which she shows that she values family and friends before herself. Additionally, Sweet Home is where Sethe met her husband Halle, and where they married. Sethe carries the aftermath of events and memories from Sweet Home, both good and bad, throughout her life and this plays an important role in developing her intricacy as a character. Under the rule of the schoolteacher at 124, the truth was exposed to the slaves, “A truth that waved like a scarecrow in rye: they were only Sweet Home men at Sweet Home.
One step off that ground and they were trespassers among the human race” (147). Under the rule of Mr. Garner, slaves were treated like men and, although they were still subject to slavery, the Garners provided an environment that was, in a way, the best of the worst when compared to other slaveholders. Under Mr. Garner, slaves could voice their opinion and were trusted as individuals. Under the schoolteacher; however, slaves were objects of possession, even seen as animals, and were defined by their numerical price value. Paul D reflects considerably on these thoughts after he learns of his lesser value of nine hundred dollars and has his spirit and self esteem …show more content…
crushed. An interesting detail regarding the effect of setting changes in this novel is the fact that Baby Suggs changes her name to Jenny after she is freed from Sweet Home. To be accurate, the Garners inform Baby Suggs that Jenny Whitlow is a more appropriate name for a freedwoman. Jenny sticks with this name throughout her time at 124. No matter how one looks at Sweet Home, it is impossible to see past the brutality and savagery which occurred within its boundaries. While many characters felt comfortable with their identities created during their time at the Home, others like Baby Suggs took up a redefined life as motivator and inspirational congregator for her new community. Sweet Home, while sweet for some, was a dreaded place only bearable through the establishment of community and friendship among the slaves. While a multitude of distinct differences exist between 124 and Sweet Home, a few similarities, such as their white-ownership and the fact that they are both marked by death in one way or another, provide an interesting image for comparison.
Whether it be the lynching of Paul A in Sweet Home or the murder of Beloved in 124, both homes constitute very unpleasant histories. The inevitable haunting of slavery plagues the slaves from Sweet Home even after their departure. Slavery and its history will never die, and the characters in this novel confirm this through their constant battles with their past. Seeking refuge at 124, Sethe was met by a shunning and unsupportive community. However, the community comes around in the end and, similar to the situation in Sweet Home, Sethe finds herself surrounded by a group of supportive, helpful, and friendly individuals who all care for one another’s
well-being. Both Sweet Home and 124 are connected through Beloved as well, in the sense that if it wasn’t for Sweet Home, Beloved would have never been murdered and her spirit wouldn’t have come back to haunt Sethe. Additionally, the fluctuation in atmosphere is apparent in each setting. While 124 goes from being spiteful, to loud, to quiet in response to the community’s emotions, Sweet Home seems to go from quiet, to loud, to spiteful in its own way regarding the change in ownership. Both homes are haunted as well by death and the spirits of the deceased. In Sweet Home, the ghost of a decapitated bride as well as the spirits of all the lynched slaves haunt the home. On the other hand, 124 and its inhabitants struggle with the ghost of Beloved, specifically in her reincarnated form. While at first glance Sweet Home and 124 seem like polar opposites, they actually share many similarities. The differences and similarities between the two settings in this novel help to give Sethe’s story more depth and provide the reader with a deeper understanding of Sethe’s past and life. Through the use of personification, Morrison is able to make 124 come to life as if it were its own character whose state of being, and the individuals inside the house, directly reflect the emotion of the community at any given time. Regarding Sweet Home, the ability for Morrison to expose the true horror, yet also show the value in this slave home, is truly amazing. Sethe’s identification and connection with Sweet Home is unbreakable and she carries her memories, both good and bad, with her from Sweet Home to 124. The establishment of these two main settings, along with the great detail dedicated to their description and history, allow the reader to uncover blatant differences yet subtle hints of similarities, adding yet another level to the complexity of this impressive and moving novel.
What is a healthy confusion? Does the work produce a mix of feelings? Curiosity and interest? Pleasure and anxiety? One work comes to mind, Beloved. In the novel, Beloved, Morrison creates a healthy confusion in readers by including the stream of consciousness and developing Beloved as a character to support the theme “one’s past actions and memories may have a significant effect on their future actions”.
The issue of Slavery in the South was an unresolved issue in the United States during the seventeenth and eighteenth century. During these years, the south kept having slavery, even though most states had slavery abolished. Due to the fact that slaves were treated as inferior, they did not have the same rights and their chances of becoming an educated person were almost impossible. However, some information about slavery, from the slaves’ point of view, has been saved. In this essay, we are comparing two different books that show us what being a slave actually was. This will be seen with the help of two different characters: Linda Brent in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl and Frederick Douglass in The Narrative of the life of Frederick
Sethe is the main character in Toni Morrison’s award winning novel Beloved. She was a former slave whom ran away from her plantation, Sweet Home, in Kentucky eighteen years ago. She and her daughter moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to live with her mother-in-law Baby Suggs. Baby Suggs passed away from depression no sooner than Sethe’s sons, Howard and Buglar ran away by the age of thirteen. Sethe tries...
Toni Morrison’s Beloved follows the history of Sethe and her family from their enslavement at Sweet Home to their life post slavery. Despite their newfound freedom, tragic experiences haunt Sethe and the members of her family. These experiences limit Sethe’s ability to move forward in her life Within the novel, Morrison marks each pivotal moment, or especially graphic moment, in Sethe’s life with an underlying theme of biblical symbolism. Morrison seems to intentionally make these connections to imply that the characters have subliminally let these stories attach to their memories. This connection helps to minimize the characters’ sense of isolation; their trauma takes places within the greater context of stories of suffering familiar to them.
As much as society does not want to admit, violence serves as a form of entertainment. In media today, violence typically has no meaning. Literature, movies, and music, saturated with violence, enter the homes of millions everyday. On the other hand, in Beloved, a novel by Toni Morrison, violence contributes greatly to the overall work. The story takes place during the age of the enslavement of African-Americans for rural labor in plantations. Sethe, the proud and noble protagonist, has suffered a great deal at the hand of schoolteacher. The unfortunate and seemingly inevitable events that occur in her life, fraught with violence and heartache, tug at the reader’s heart-strings. The wrongdoings Sethe endures are significant to the meaning of the novel.
Morrison strengthened Beloved by including a supernatural dimension. While it is possible to interpret the book’s paranormal phenomena within a realist framework, many events in the novel most notably, the presence of a ghost push the limits of ordinary understanding and make us readers aware of the supernatural content. Moreover, the characters in Beloved also do not hesitate to believe in the supernatural status of these events. For them, poltergeists, premonitions, and hallucinations are ways of understanding the significance of the world around them. Such incidents stand in marked contrast to schoolteacher’s abnormal “scientific” and experimental studies.
So often, the old adage, "History always repeats itself," rings true due to a failure to truly confront the past, especially when the memory of a period of time sparks profoundly negative emotions ranging from anguish to anger. However, danger lies in failing to recognize history or in the inability to reconcile the mistakes of the past. In her novel, Beloved, Toni Morrison explores the relationship between the past, present and future. Because the horrors of slavery cause so much pain for slaves who endured physical abuse as well as psychological and emotional hardships, former slaves may try to block out the pain, failing to reconcile with their past. However, when Sethe, one of the novel's central characters fails to confront her personal history she still appears plagued by guilt and pain, thus demonstrating its unavoidability. Only when she begins to make steps toward recovery, facing the horrors of her past and reconciling them does she attain any piece of mind. Morrison divides her novel into three parts in order to track and distinguish the three stages of Sethe approach with dealing with her personal history. Through the character development of Sethe, Morrison suggests that in order to live in the present and enjoy the future, it is essential to reconcile the traumas of the past.
Already in the first chapter, the reader begins to gain a sense of the horrors that have taken place. Like the ghost, the address of the house is a stubborn reminder of its history. The characters refer to the house by its number, 124. These digits highlight the absence of Sethe’s murdered third child. As an institution, slavery shattered its victims’ traditional family structures, or else precluded such structures from ever forming. Slaves were thus deprived of the foundations of any identity apart from their role as servants. Baby Suggs is a woman who never had the chance to be a real mother, daughter, or sister. Later, we learn that neither Sethe nor Paul D knew their parents, and the relatively long, six-year marriage of Halle and Sethe is an anomaly in an institution that would regularly redistribute men and women to different farms as their owners deemed necessary.
The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an autobiography of Frederick Douglass which depicts the hardships and abuse he witnessed and felt as a slave, gives the reader insight into what it was like to be a slave in America. The type of slavery Frederick Douglass endured as an in-house slave for many years in Maryland was not as harsh or difficult as being a slave in another state such as Tennessee which is farther away from the North, or on a different plantation being used as a field hand. Frederick Douglass had the luxury of living in the city for a while, where “a slave is almost a freeman, compared with those on a plantation” and where “there is a vestige of decency” and “a sense of shame” which makes the city slave owners kinder, since they do not want to seem like an unkind slave owner to their non-slave owner neighbors. Even with this fact in mind, the reader is still able to understand the types of punishments that occurred, how the slaves were treated, and what it was like to live life as a slave because of the detail that Frederick Douglass writes in his book about the experiences he went through all those years that he was a slave and what it was like to become a free man.
In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison explores the paradoxical nature of love both as a dangerous presence that promises suffering and a life-giving force that gives the strength to proceed; through the experiences of the run-away slave Sethe. The dangerous aspect of love is revealed through the comments of Paul D and Ella regarding the motherly love of Sethe towards her children. Sethe's deep attachment to her children is deemed dangerous due to their social environment which evidently promises that the loved one of a slave will be hurt. On the other hand, love is portrayed as a sustaining force that allows Sethe to move on with her life. All the devastating experiences Sethe endures do not matter due to the fact that she must live for her children. Although dangerous, Sethe's love finally emerges as the prevalent force that allows her to leave the past behind and move on with her life.
‘“Was it hard? I hope she didn't die hard.’ Sethe shook her head. 'Soft as cream. Being alive was the hard part’” (Morrison 8). Paul D questions the absence of Baby Suggs as he and Sethe sit on the front porch of 124. In the early pages of Toni Morrison’s book, Beloved, the theme of mercy is immediately present and stressed. The characters of Beloved live with the traumatic effects of living through slavery, and the value of life terrorizes their subconscious. The epicenter of Morrison’s book is Sethe killing her daughter out of love and mercy. Mercy is a powerful motive that drives human instinct, especially that of a mother’s psyche. Exploring this concept, Sethe’s actions were extreme, but not unique. They were actually explainable and even defendable.
Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved, reveals the effects of human emotion and its power to cast an individual into a struggle against him or herself. In the beginning of the novel, the reader sees the main character, Sethe, as a woman who is resigned to her desolate life and isolates herself from all those around her. Yet, she was once a woman full of feeling: she had loved her husband Halle, loved her four young children, and loved the days of the Clearing. And thus, Sethe was jaded when she began her life at 124 Bluestone Road-- she had loved too much. After failing to 'save' her children from the schoolteacher, Sethe suffered forever with guilt and regret. Guilt for having killed her "crawling already?" baby daughter, and then regret for not having succeeded in her task. It later becomes apparent that Sethe's tragic past, her chokecherry tree, was the reason why she lived a life of isolation. Beloved, who shares with Seths that one fatal moment, reacts to it in a completely different way; because of her obsessive and vengeful love, she haunts Sethe's house and fights the forces of death, only to come back in an attempt to take her mother's life. Through her usage of symbolism, Morrison exposes the internal conflicts that encumber her characters. By contrasting those individuals, she shows tragedy in the human condition. Both Sethe and Beloved suffer the devastating emotional effects of that one fateful event: while the guilty mother who lived refuses to passionately love again, the daughter who was betrayed fights heaven and hell- in the name of love- just to live again.
Throughout the novel “Beloved”, Toni Morrison who is the author used the setting of this book to keep the reader not only engaged but lost and thrown into an alien environment. By using the past and giving the reader pieces of the past to show why the future begins to alter. Along with Toni’s use of setting, she also gave a special significance for the ghost in house 124.
To survive, one must depend on the acceptance and integration of what is past and what is present. In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison carefully constructs events that parallel the way the human mind functions; this serves as a means by which the reader can understand the activity of memory. "Rememory" enables Sethe, the novel's protagonist, to reconstruct her past realities. The vividness that Sethe brings to every moment through recurring images characterizes her understanding of herself. Through rememory, Morrison is able to carry Sethe on a journey from being a woman who identifies herself only with motherhood, to a woman who begins to identify herself as a human being. Morrison glorifies the potential of language, and her faith in the power and construction of words instills trust in her readers that Sethe has claimed ownership of her freed self. The structure of Morrison's novel, which is arranged in trimesters, carries the reader on a mother's journey beginning with the recognition of a haunting "new" presence, then gradually coming to terms with one's fears and reservations, and finally giving birth to a new identity while reclaiming one's own.
In Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, Morrison uses universal themes and characters that anyone can relate to today. Set in the 1800s, Beloved is about the destructive effects of American slavery. Most destructive in the novel, however, is the impact of slavery on the human soul. Morrison’s Beloved highlights how slavery contributes to the destruction of one’s identity by examining the importance of community solidarity, as well as the powers and limits of language during the 1860s.