Toni Morrison's Beloved Essay: Sethe

Gavi Kamen

Friday 24, 2017

English 12

Beloved Essay (Sethe)

As Beloved mysteriously makes her physical entrance in the novel Morrison sculpts her to magnify, sculpt, shadow and trigger Sethe. As Beloved moves into 124 it becomes increasingly clear that she not only adores Sethe but that she craves Sethe’s presence, touch and affection. Sethe notices that Beloved seems to be constantly “hovering” (68). And it is true that Beloved lives between two states. She resides in the space between the physical denial of her existence and the emotional acceptance of the fact that she is the ghost of Sethe’s dead child. One morning, as she wakes up to make bread before heading off to work, Sethe sees Beloved waiting and watching. She describes the phenomenon

As Beloved begins to hum Sethe experiences a sudden click, and it is during this moment that she realizes and accepts that Beloved is her child. Sethe recalls that the melody Beloved is humming is one she created, one only her children knew. More than all the other signs (all of which clearly hinted Beloved was Sethe’s kin) it was the only one that was a piece of her own soul and imagination. It was personal enough to make the call. As Sethe walks to work, “wrapped in a timeless present,” she decides that she will no longer live in the trauma of her years as a slave (217). Sethe decides she will live amongst the current happiness that comes with having two daughters home with her, but this proves to be complicated. The realization that Beloved is her daughter back from the dead forces her to interact with the fact that she killed her own child. As soon as that thought forces it’s way into Sethe’s usually rigid mind the others make their way in as well. Sethe finds herself remembering her mother and the pain that the absence of her mother brought into her life. She remembers killing beloved, and she remembers the way her body was abused in order to provide her dear baby with a gravestone. She remembers wanting to stay by beloved’s dead body, but that she couldn’t as she had to take care of

Similarly to Sethe’s intense PTSD, Beloved has seeped into every aspect of Sethe’s life. Beloved has latched onto her physically and has sucked all the life out of Sethe’s body and mind. Beloved gains weight, and gains she the confidence to stand up to Sethe and guilt her for killing her. Instead of the “timeless present” she so desired, Beloved wraps Sethe in the haunting legacy of slavery and its impact on her. Because the black community is a tightly-wound and self-reliant societal network, Beloved’s powerful and triggering manner is a danger to the wellbeing of the entire community. Crossing over the bridge that is Denver, Ella steps from the community into Sethe’s spiralling life. As she arrives she brings the power of united women with her. Together, with indomitable strength and perseverance into the bright hope of a new life, the female community that once shamed Sethe relieves her of Beloved, who forces Sethe to live in the past; leaving the recently haunted home “just another weathered house” once it is rid of Belo (311). Although Beloved was “disremembered” by the community, and can’t truly be known as “Beloved” anymore because she isn’t truly loved, her presence still exists (323). It still hovers. Although Beloved will no longer be able to keep Sethe physically from romance (Paul D) or the present (work, Denver,