    (c) 1991 Bureau Development, Inc.

    File: \DP\0134\01343.TXT         Mon Jun 26 15:39:02 1995
Database: Monarch Notes By Literary Period


$Unique_ID{MON01343}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Works of Toni Morrison
Beloved: Part 2}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Morrison, Toni}
$Affiliation{Free-Lance Writer, Formerly Associate Editor, New York Daily Challenge}
$Subject{beloved
paul
sethe
denver
life
sethe's
important
d's
baby
chapter}
$Date{}
$Log{}
Title:       Works of Toni Morrison
Book:        Beloved
Author:      Morrison, Toni
Critic:      Branch, Eleanor
Affiliation: Free-Lance Writer, Formerly Associate Editor, New York Daily Challenge

Beloved: Part 2

Beloved Was Shining ...

Structure.

     The story continues with Paul D's reaction to the fact that Beloved's
presence bodes ill. Characteristically, Morrison dates the movement: it has
been five weeks since Beloved's arrival, and the battle lines are firmly
drawn. We are also handed several more clues in the mystery of Beloved's
identity.

Characterization.

     In this chapter, our focus returns to Paul D. Initially skeptical, he is
feeling more and more uncomfortable with Beloved's presence, although there
remains some question as to why. Is it her sexuality or simply her intrusion
on what was an emerging sense of family? Paul D's uncertainty is an important
aspect of character, exacerbating his feelings of inadequacy and
powerlessness. Never is this more clear than in his recollection of the day
Sethe escaped, Halle went crazy and Schoolteacher put a bit in his mouth.
Constantly comparing himself with out other people and other things, Paul D
relates that those events broke him; he felt less a man than Sweet Home's
tough barnyard rooster, Mister.

     Sethe's reaction to Paul D's confession is important because it
challenges the assumptions she has made about Halle, about her life and her
future. Made frantic by the relentlessness of her own memories and pain, she
is called upon to be supportive of Paul D as he attempts to work through his
turmoil. It is too much for both of them, however, and they slip back into an
implicit agreement to keep the past at bay.

     Also, we are reminded once again how different Beloved is, this time from
the perspective of Paul D. The difference disturbs him, yet he is powerless to
demand that Sethe throw the young woman out or find her another place to live.

     Meanwhile, Denver's attachment to and need for Beloved is growing by
leaps and bounds. She takes the opportunity provided by the choking incident
to have Beloved sleep with her.

Theme.

     The consistent images of defeat make for an overpowering indictment of
slavery and what it does to the individual. Sethe and Paul D are beaten back
by their memories, defeated as much by the actual circumstances as the
emotions their recollections produce.

Realism.

     Slavery, as a system of tyranny and economic exploitation, deprived
people of their personhood. The memories Sethe and Paul D must face have
everything to do with their treatment as animals, rather than human beings.
Sethe is milked like a cow, while Paul D is harnessed as though he were a
beast of burden. Morrison continues to fill the novel with an unforgettable
picture of what slavery was really like. References to the Ku Klux Klan and
their open hostility toward blacks, as well as the sense of urgency and flight
that many blacks faced during the period after the Civil War are further
examples of realistic detail.

Symbolism.

     Paul D's tobacco tin has taken the place of his red heart. The tin is
significant because it merges elements of the past with the present. Paul D's
tin has not replaced his heart, however; it merely covers it up.

Metaphor.

     Two important metaphors dominate this chapter, both having to do with
Paul D. The first is his comparison of Beloved to a strawberry plant. The
significance here is sexual in nature. Paul D perceives her as "shining," or
ripe.

     The second is his self-comparison to the rooster, Mister. Roosters are
male birds, usually dominant barnyard animals, and Mister is no exception.
Even his name tells us what he is and how he is perceived. For Paul D, Mister
becomes a symbol of manhood, an intangible that Paul D loses while under the
bit.

     Other metaphors include Paul D's comparison of Beloved to a slippery
fish; the Klan as a dragon that swam the Ohio River; and the sticky spiderwebs
that Sethe and Denver emit as a wall of defense against Paul D's dislike of
Beloved.

Upstairs Beloved Was Dancing.

Structure.

     In direct contrast to the previous scene, Beloved and Denver are
celebrating. These young women exist in a world all their own, untouched by
the tragedy of slavery. It instills in them an abandon neither Sethe nor Paul
D has. They are free enough to imagine what it must have been like for Sethe,
pregnant and on the run, without any real knowledge of what she was running
from. That recollection becomes an echo of their thoughts.

Characterization.

     Slowly the level of Beloved's obsession with Sethe is revealed: "She is
the one. She is the one I need." Likewise is Denver's desperation over losing
Beloved. There is a parallel in their relationships. As devoted as Denver is
to Beloved, so Beloved is to Sethe. This will be an important point of
contrast as the novel continues.

     We also meet Amy Denver again. This time, however, her character is drawn
more fully. As a white person, she echoes many of the prejudices whites had
toward blacks, yet she is full of kindness. We see her humor and genuine good
naturedness, but because the role she plays is so small, we are not privy to
any significant character development.

Theme.

     Denver's growing obsession with Beloved mirrors Beloved's growing
obsession with Sethe, the former exacerbated because Denver finally realizes
who Beloved is.

Realism.

     Another parallel that Morrison attempts is the treatment of slaves and
indentured servants. Amy is one such servant. She, too, has been beaten; has
had to work hours on end; and she faces the possibility of uncertain
parentage. Her experience mirrors that of thousands of indentured servants who
migrated to America for a better life and who were contracted to work for a
set period of time.

Metaphor.

     The tree on Sethe's back returns as a symbol of Sethe's endurance. The
water returns along with its associations of life and now freedom as Sethe
looks toward the Ohio River and a new life on the other side. The strongest
metaphor, however, is that of the spores of blue fern lying at the river's
edge that come to represent the seeds of the future. A parallel is drawn
between the birth of Denver and the potential in those seeds.

Allusion.

     "The tip of the thing she [Denver] always saw in its entirety when
Beloved undressed to sleep" is a subtle allusion to the scar Beloved bears as
a result of having her throat cut. Its existence adds another dimension of
mystery and suspense to the story.

It Was Time to Lay It All Down.

Structure.

     In a series of flashbacks, further exposition and characterization are
provided. The power of Baby Suggs, holy, her capacity to love, and Sethe's
introduction to both Ella and Stamp Paid link the past with the present.

Characterization.

     This is an important chapter in terms of characterization for a number of
reasons. Baby Suggs, holy, is featured prominently for the first time; Sethe
and Denver make decisions that will influence the course of the novel; and the
community, in the voices of Ella and Stamp, takes its place among the cast of
characters.

     More than anyone else Baby Suggs represents many of the novel's important
lessons. Through her voice, we learn the importance of self-love and
self-possession; that redemption is vital. We are inspired by her capacity to
love. Baby Suggs embraces an entire community with words and hope. She opens
her home and heart. She is a prime example of the ancestor-elder-rich in
wisdom and instruction.

     Baby Suggs is also a poignant symbol of defeat. Her response to Sethe's
infanticide is chilling because it creates in her a disturbing resignation.
Her life, her work, her talk of grace, she believes, is all a lie and she
subsequently retires from life in order to ponder "color." Still, she remains
a powerful presence in the life of Sethe and Denver. Sethe's trek to the
Clearing is testament to that.

     Sethe finally appears triumphant. Her walk to the Clearing for solace
forces a decision about Paul D; she wants their life. This is a major step in
her personal development because it means that she will have to face the
memories she has fought so hard to keep down.

     Denver's choice-Beloved over Sethe-is another indication of her desire to
claim possession of Beloved. While she does manifest concern for her mother
over the strangling incident, she is more concerned with keeping her world
intact. The picture we get of Denver as a child enhances our understanding of
her as she approaches adulthood. A sensitive soul, she is as much a victim as
Sethe. Nelson Lord's questions are enough to send Denver reeling, and her
reaction-refusing to hear-is a rejection not only of her history but of her
mother's as well.

     There is also another side of Beloved. Becoming more and more obsessed
over Sethe, she shifts from adoring baby-kissing her mother's hurt away-to
petulant child, her sense of destructiveness heightened by anything that
separates her from Sethe, particularly Paul D. We also get more of a sense of
Beloved's otherworldliness; those are her fingers on Sethe's neck.

     Two other characters-Ella and Stamp Paid-are voices of the community and
will play an important role in the resolution of the novel. Stamp Paid, his
name a point of characterization, is highly principled as evidenced by his
interaction with the young boy over the coat and the baby. Ella is also
principled, and it is significant that her first words of advice to Sethe are
"Don't love nothing."

Theme.

     Many of the novel's interrelated themes and motifs are expressed in this
chapter. Here are the lessons of Baby Suggs: the idea of laying it down
(redemption); the important lesson of self-love and self-possession, and the
underlying tension that exists because white people have so little regard for
black life. Beyond these we have the presence or implied presence of Baby
Suggs, an ancestral as well as supernatural force and, herself, a symbol of
defeat.

     Because of Sethe's confusion, Morrison has been able to centralize many
of the novel's critical issues. Sethe, in dire need of comfort and advice,
seeks the wisdom of the now deceased Baby Suggs. How can she "lay it down"
when her memories are so painful? How can she claim ownership-fully claim
it-and face the present if she cannot reconcile the past? Sethe's return to
the Clearing is important for her emotionally as well as to the novel's
thematic structure because she returns to the source, so to speak. She returns
to pay homage.

     This is the role of the ancestor-elder is Morrison's work, and it becomes
important when we look at her attention to the continuum of the black
experience.

     Just as important is the presence of the supernatural. Sethe feels those
fingers on her neck; she feels them choking her; and the fingers, as an omen,
add another dimension to the aura of the supernatural that permeates the work.

     Baby Suggs, as a symbol of the supernatural in death, represents defeat
in life. The nine years she lay in her bed, pondering color as a reaction to
Sethe's murderous act, is her way of giving up. "Those white things have taken
all I had or dreamed," she says. This is a powerful statement, not only
because it articulates one of the major tensions in the novel, but more
important because it denies the validity of her life and what she has tried to
do with it as a free woman. The family mirrors this defeat as the two boy
children, Buglar and Howard, run away from the spite of the house and the
women in it.

Metaphor.

     Several instances of metaphor exist to signify heightened personal
tensions. Baby Suggs' admonishment to "lay it down, sword and shield," puts
Sethe's struggle on the level of a personal war. Morrison follows the imagery
through with a reference to "her heavy knives of defense."

     The images of the cardinal, described as a "blood spot shifting in the
trees," and the turtles copulating, turn our attention to the sexual
development of Beloved. The search for red becomes a symbol of her own
maturation as a woman. The imagery of the turtles, however, carries with it a
sense of violence and the struggle for dominance.

Sense stimuli.

     Denver's bout with deafness is another use of the senses to indicate
internal conflict. Unable to cope with her mother's past actions or the
community's reaction to them, Denver's trauma finds expression in a soundless
world.

Out of Sight ...

Structure.

     Morrison continues the tone she created at the very end of the last
chapter in her use of exposition regarding Paul D's prison experience in
Alfred, Georgia. This is the first chapter in the novel that is all
exposition. Not only does it signal a momentary lapse in story development as
a way to create suspense, but it helps us place the particular incidents in
Paul D's life that were, in fact, a turning point in the perception of his own
manhood.

Characterization.

     The nature of Paul D's character is evinced first by the inner trembling
that begins once he is out of Mister's sight; then by his indecisiveness in
venturing outside the Indian camp; and finally by his decision to store away
the past "in the tobacco tin lodged in his chest." These characteristics
further reveal how slavery has affected one black man. Paul D is tentative
now, his ability to take control, to make decisions has been thoroughly
impaired by his experience at Sweet Home and Alfred, Georgia.

Theme.

     One of the most important themes to come through in this chapter is that
of endurance through the help of the community. In a place so incredibly
horrific as Alfred, Georgia, 46 men endure because they learn to trust in
their community. This theme will be repeated.

Realism.

     Once again, Morrison treats us to realistic details on what slavery and
prison life were like for a black man in 19th century America. She also offers
particulars on America's treatment of the Cherokees and the historic
relationship of cooperation and trust between blacks and Indians during that
same period.

Symbolism.

     The identification of death and life in male and female terms,
respectively, is allegorical. As the men smash the head of Mr. Death and kill
the flirt called Life, they create a state of personal limbo for themselves.

She Moved Him.

Structure.

     The first sentence mirrors the ambiguity that permeates this chapter. Who
is the "she" and what is the movement? Little by little Morrison reveals that
the she is actually Beloved and that the movement is physical as well as
mental; physical in the sense that Paul D moves out of Sethe's bed and finally
into the cold room, and mental because ultimately he cannot resist her. Note
that Morrison again dates the story; it is now autumn and the nights are
growing cold.

Characterization.

     Beloved is becoming more and more sophisticated in getting what she
wants. The nature of her power is one of the great mysteries of the novel. She
is, however, becoming dangerously manipulative.

     Paul D gives us another question to ponder. His movement, apparently, is
not voluntary. He loves Sethe and wants them to have a life together. Still,
he is powerless to resist Beloved, and it is their interaction that opens the
"tobacco tin" of his heart. The red heart he didn't have several chapters ago
is vibrant and alive-so alive it wakes him up.

Biblical allusion.

     One of the biblical references called forth is the story of Lot's wife.
Lot and his family, in escaping God's destruction of Sodom (an ancient
Palestinian city known for its vice), are warned not to look behind them or
they will be "consumed." Lot's wife looks back and as a result is turned into
a pillar of salt. A subtle analogy is drawn between Paul D and Lot's wife on
the one hand, and Sodom and Beloved on the other: Paul D for his weakness,
Beloved for her attractiveness.

To Go Back ...

Characterization.

     Denver's obsession with Beloved is the clear focus of this chapter. In
particular, we see the effect Beloved has had on Denver-she is more
cooperative around the house and certainly more artful in her own manipulation
of Beloved. But Denver is also much closer to identifying with her "sister"
than she should be. In a kind of surrealistic episode that we will see again
with Beloved, Denver begins to come apart at the seams when she believes
Beloved has left her.

     Beloved, for her part, treats it as a game, taunting Denver to come find
her-and then disappearing. This is simply one more indication of Beloved's
capacity to manipulate others without any regard to their feelings.

     Later, as she curls up in a fetal position pointing into the darkness at
a face that she sees-Sethe's-she has drawn one more connection. "It's me," she
says. There is never any separation of identity for Beloved. Her desire for
Sethe, as we shall see later, is a desire to merge.

Surrealism.

     Denver's moment of panic is drawn in surrealistic terms as she feels
herself slowly "melting away." Beloved picks up the surrealistic thread as she
lies knotted in a fetal position pointing to the face she says is Sethe's and
then her own. The use of the surreal here prepares us for the coming chapters
when the identities of Denver, Sethe, and Beloved seem to split and merge.

Sense impression.

     Once again, the senses are used to telegraph conflict. While Denver may
have temporarily lost her hearing as a young child, she gained the enormous
power of sight when "she saw every little thing, and colors leaped smoldering
into view." Morrison's imagery is quite exaggerated-"the most violent of
sunsets, stars as fat as dinner plates and all the blood of autumn"-and it
illustrates how thoroughly Denver is traumatized by her mother's past.

The Last of the Sweet Home Men ...

Time.

     It has been three weeks since Paul D found himself settled in the cold
house; four months since Beloved's arrival.

Characterization.

     Paul D takes center stage as he wrestles not only with a growing sense of
powerlessness, but with a key question related to his own identity: What makes
a man? Because of his experiences at Sweet Home, the prison in Alfred,
Georgia, and now at 124, he questions himself. Stung by his own desire and
angered by the feeling that Beloved is manipulating him, he tries to assume
control of the situation, i.e., prove his manhood, by asking Sethe to have his
baby.

     Two sides of Sethe-mother-stoic and lover-come together as Sethe shows
first a willingness to accept Paul D and his news no matter how horrible, and
second a vulnerability as the two take on the aspect of lovers in their walk
home. It is important to note Sethe's claim of Beloved at the end of the
chapter. She is finally beginning to feel and know just who Beloved is.

Point of view.

     Morrison's use of the omniscient voice is masterful in its depiction of a
relationship in counterpoint. We hear the interior thoughts of both Sethe and
Paul D, and our understanding of their interaction is broadened.

Theme.

     Within the context the Sethe and Paul D's relationship is an interesting
exploration of male and female. Paul D is a man because he can eat raw meat
barely dead; fight raccoons with his hands and win; watch another man roast to
death, without shedding a tear. Likewise, the central focus of Sethe's
identity is motherhood, which not only encompasses a fierce loyalty and
protectiveness as evidenced in her interactions with Paul D over Denver, but
"needing to be good enough, alert enough, strong enough, that caring...."
These are two different world views, important because of what they say about
the quest for personal fulfillment. Paul D's has been an external one. In his
wanderings and his freedom he has had to know himself to survive. Sethe's
quest has been internal. Given the responsibilities of family, she has had to
find herself within that context.

Denver Finished Washing the Dishes ...

Structure.

     The shortest chapter in the novel, the incident within echoes, in part,
the experience Denver had in the barn when she thought Beloved had left her.

Characterization.

     Beloved's otherworldliness is magnified by her difficulty in keeping
herself physically intact. What better way to show us how tenuous her
existence is? She is also more and more petulant; her response to Sethe and
Paul D's closeness is an act of self-mutilation. Interesting, too, is the fact
that she must be told to cry. Clearly, Beloved is an anomaly.

