Beloved as we know is a very mysterious character in this novel. She leaves us with many questions but one main thought to think about is her contribution in the growth of each character. In other words, the arrival of Beloved is probably the most pivotal moment of this story. This is due to the fact that this mysterious character known as Beloved is the center of this story and pretty much is the heart of what goes on in this story.
124 Bluestone Road. A house located in Cincinnati and a main setting of this story. Â This one address is where it all begins. It went through many phases of being loud and quiet however it’s a peaceful house that turned into a haunted house. Why has it become haunted? Reason is the arrival of our mysterious character by the name of Beloved. Beloved is what stirs the household with our characters around.
Moving through our characters, let’s start with our center. Sethe, a former slave who was sold at the age of 14 to the Garners of Sweet Home was a character who went through several children as a result from interactions with Halle. Later on in her life, she moves into 124 and meets Paul D which eventually leads to a sexual relationship. Soon, Beloved enters and without question, Sethe takes her in. An argument soon erupts regarding the truth behind Sethe leading Paul D to move. Beloved becomes someone Sethe cares for. She becomes the reason for Sethe’s existence. She spends almost all her time with and thinking about Beloved. That was until Beloved disappears for good. Without Beloved, Sethe has no where to go that is until Paul D finally returns. So pretty much without Beloved’s arrival, this whole argument and fracas would have never happened and life would’ve been much different and 124 would remain peaceful. Sethe wouldn’t have had any worries or regrets in her life.
Paul D was a major character in this story and had several interactions with Beloved. When Beloved showed up, Paul D showed some confusion. Paul D was known as the frail man with the “Tin Box Heart.” This was due to the many experiences he had as slave and as an escapee from Brandywine. He had no one to be with due to his brothers being dead. That was until he moved to 124 with Sethe. At this point, Paul D still had his “Tin Box Heart”. Beloved was the one who changed that into somewhat of a renewed Steel Beam Heart. After having sexual intercourse with Beloved, Paul D changed and evolved. Later on the story after Paul D moves out, Paul D returns after hearing what happened to Sethe as a result from Beloved’s disappearance. The Tin Can Heart is what Paul D was known for and it was an important symbol in the story. If Beloved didn’t arrive, he would’ve still remained frail and he wouldn’t have had to move out which would really change the story significantly.
To conclude this post, there’s more things to talk about when it comes to the reasons why Beloved’s arrival was very pivotal however the changes in Sethe and Paul D I believe sums this up. Our mysterious character that we call Beloved was the key to each character involved with 124 and without her, this story wouldn’t even be Beloved. It would probably be just a story about a family living in a utopia after slavery.
Tag Archives: Week 10
Sethe Kills Beloved
The scene that is so pivotal in Beloved is when the sheriff comes to the shed after Sethe kills Beloved. Starting from page 177, paragraph 3, to page 179, paragraph 1, it states: âThey unhitched from schoolteacherâs horse the borrowed mule that was to carry the fugitive woman back to where she belonged, and tied it to the fence. Then, with the sun straight up over their heads, they trotted off, leaving the sheriff behind among the damnedest bunch of coons theyâd ever seen. All testimony to the results of a little so-called freedom imposed on people who needed every care and guidance in the world to keep them from the cannibal life they preferred. The sheriff wanted to back out too. To stand in the sunlight outside of that place meant for housing wood, coal, keroseneâfuel for cold Ohio winters, which he thought of now, while resisting the urge to run into the August sunlight. Not because he was afraid. Not at all. He was just cold. And he didnât want to touch anything. The baby in the baby in the old manâs arms was crying, and the womanâs eyes with no whites were gazing straight ahead. They all might have remained that way, frozen till Thursday, except one of the boys on the floor sighed. As if he were sunk in the pleasure of deep sweet sleep, he sighed the sigh that flung the sheriff into action. âIâll have to take you in. No trouble now. Youâve done enough to last you. Come on now.â She did not move. âYou come quiet, hear, and I wonât have to tie you up.â She stayed still and he had made up his mind to go near her and some kind of way bind her wet red hands when a shadow behind him in the doorway made him turn. The nigger with the flower in her hat entered.
Baby Suggs noticed who breathed and who did not and went straight to the boys lying in the dirt. The old man moved to the woman gazing and said, âSethe. You take my armload and gimme yours.â She turned to him, and glancing at the baby he was holding, made a low sound in her throat as though sheâd made a mistake, left the salt out of the bread or something. âIâm going out here and send for a wagon,â the sheriff said and got into the sunlight at last. But neither Stamp Paid nor Baby Suggs could make her put her crawling-already? girl down. Out of the shed, back in the house, she held on. Baby Suggs had got the boys (Howard and Buglar) inside and was bathing their heads, rubbing their hands, lifting their lids, whispering, âBeg your pardon, I beg your pardon,â the whole time. She bound their wounds and made them breath camphor before turning her attention to Sethe. She took the crying baby (Denver) from Stamp Paid and carried it on her shoulder for a full two minutes, then stood in front of its mother. âItâs time to nurse your youngest,â she said. Sethe reached up for the baby without letting the dead one go. Baby Suggs shook her head. âOne at a time,â she said and traded the living for the dead, which she carried into the keeping room. When she came back, Sethe was aiming a bloody nipple into the babyâs mouth. Baby Suggs slammed her fist on the table and shouted, âClean up! Clean yourself up!â
I believe if Sethe did not kill Beloved than Howard and Buglar would not have been afraid of her. In the text, it states that Howard and Buglar did not want to be near Sethe during the day of Belovedâs funeral. Also, Howard and Buglar were afraid if they were going to be the next child that Sethe was going to kill, so, they ran away from. Likewise, Denver would not have been afraid of Sethe if she did not kill Beloved. Although, she did not run away like her brothers, she was constantly living in fear of what Sethe was going to do. Denver was always watching her motherâs every move, being careful with her, less she be killed as well. Also, Denver believed she had to take care of her mother because she did not want the same episode that happened to Beloved to happen again to herself or anyone else. If Sethe did not kill Beloved with a handsaw, then Belovedâs ghost would not have come in the house to torment her. In the text, Beloved comes to 124 as thin frail girl that has no family. At first, Sethe takes her in and helps her to get better without knowing that it was her daughter. Sethe believed that Beloved was a harmless child and that she was a good friend to Denver. However, Paul D realized something was not right with Beloved. He saw that she came to 124 with a nice dress and nice shoes and he became suspicious of her being homeless because the slaves Paul D encountered were either hungry, robbed, or deprived of something (Page 78). Although, Denver and Sethe ignored Paul Dâs assumptions, Denver later realizes that Beloved was her sister and that she came back to take revenge on Sethe for killing her. Sethe, also, realized that Beloved was her child when Beloved would ask Sethe of things that only Sethe would know such as her earrings and other stories that she could not have know if she was a stranger to the family. Furthermore, the scar that was on Belovedâs neck was a clue to Sethe showing that Beloved was her deceased daughter that came back to her.
As Beloved got well, any chance she got she would ask Sethe to retell stories of her life and make sweet desserts for her. Sethe did not oblige and she would do them even if she did not have the resources for it. I believe Sethe was trying to mend her relationship that she broke when she killed Beloved. However, Beloved fed into her remorse and started to suck the life out of her like a parasite. As Beloved got fatter from the constant desserts that Sethe was feeding her, the fighting between them got worse (Page 296). Denver believed âshe kept them aliveâ but she became more afraid for the safety of her mother than the safety of Beloved (Page 296). At the end of the text, Beloved has an ice pick in her hand and Denver and Sethe were running away from Beloved (Page 309). Although, Denver and Sethe does not die, Sethe gets a mental breakdown from the trauma that she went through with Beloved, causing Denver to now take care of her and be the head of the household (Page 319-321). Another point I want to make is that, Paul D could have continued his intimate relationship with Sethe. I believe Paul D wanted to be with Sethe and establish a family ( such as a wife, husband, and child), however, the news of Sethe putting a handsaw to her own child was too traumatic for him, so he left (Page 221).
