In chapter 17 of my reading the narrator described the moment when Stamp told Paul D about what Sethe had done to her children.Ā “Stamp looked into Paul D’s eyes and the sweet conviction in them made him wonder if it had happened at all, eighteen years ago, that while he and Baby Suggs were looking the wrong way, a pretty little slave girl had recognized a hat, and split to the woodshed to kill her children.” Ā Sethe later explained to Paul D that once she recognized the hat she knew it belonged to School Teacher from Sweet Home who had beat her badly in the past.Ā She apparently would rather her children die than return to Sweet Home with School Teacher and the others to live a life of slavery.Ā She was successful in killing only her first daughter. Ā The killing of this child set off a sequence of events which makes up the plot of the story.
The passage quoted above is a pivotal moment in this novel by Toni Morrison. Ā This is because the major plot of story surrounds the death of Sethe’s daughter who is regarded as the baby ghost haunting 124. Ā The story began with a description of some of the supernatural happenings at 124. Ā The effect these events have on various characters is presented at the beginning of the story. Ā According to the narrator 124 was spiteful.ā Ā “Full of baby’s venom.” “The women in the house knew it and so did the children.”Ā Setheās children Howard and Buglar eventually had enough of the baby ghost antics and left home.Ā Baby Suggs on her dying bed felt it was about time they did and did nothing to stop them.
Without the killing of this baby there would not have been a baby ghost to haunt 124. As the story progressed and Beloved showed up Sethe began to speculate that this was the dead baby reincarnated.Ā Denver was sure this was her sister but did not mind having her around and fear that one day she would leave.Ā She was more fearful of Beloved leaving than her concern that Beloved could harm her mother. Ā These are major events that make up the plot.Ā These events are present because that baby was unfortunately killed by Sethe.
If the death of the baby had not occurred and the subsequent haunting of 124 the plot would be completely different.Ā Because the story was set during the period of slavery, the experiences of Sethe, Baby Suggs and Paul D lives as slaves could be developed into a plot.Ā Morrisonās plot would include life of the characters living as slaves and the brutality, shamefulness and lack of humanity that they encountered as they were treated less than human and more like disgusting animals.Ā The plot would conclude with the outcome of each character whether or not they eventually had good outcome such as a better life despite the painful memories of slavery.
