Imagine living in the era when slavery was existent and you were in the position of an African-American slave who received no fair treatment or a lavish life. Instead, you work countless hours in fields, serving your superior, white owner. Eventually, exhaustion overpowers you, leading to all sorts of consequences and tragic events. However, water can be a savior and even potentially grant a new life. In the novel, Beloved by Toni Morrison, the motif of water plays a crucial role in developing ideas revolving around life and rebirth. In the scene when Beloved makes her first appearance, she was magically “fully dressed and walked out of the water” (50). This scene not only introduces the reader to Beloved, but it highlights a deeper meaning;
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When Baby Suggs described her earlier days when she first arrived at 124, she remembers immediately “drinking every drop of water”(143) regardless of the fact that it “tasted like a serious medicine”(143). This connects to when Beloved came out of the water and drank several cups of water because both Baby Suggs and Beloved consumed large amounts of water in order to replenish their exhaustion and lifeless spirit. It proves that water is vital and solely capable of aiding someone . Later, when Beloved is describing her admiration for Sethe, she recalls her “going in the water with my face”(120). This is a flashback to when Beloved emerged out of the water because she’s now recalling the real event leading up to that occurrence. Similar to before, this can be perceived as a baptism process that brought Beloved into the world. Beloved was just a newborn when she was dragged under water along with Sethe, proving that she underwent a baptism-like process. Altogether, Beloved and Baby Suggs showed that water did more than just restore their energy, it gave them the ability and strength to stand back up and keep …show more content…
Throughout the course of Sethe’s journey as a slave, she encountered many close calls; one being her crossing the “bloody Ohio river”(31) after giving birth to Denver. The Ohio river is depicted as a barrier that endangered the life of Sethe because many factors such as drowning or freezing to death could’ve possibly killed both Sethe and the newborn Denver. On the other hand, Beloved experienced a journey similar to that of Sethe’s. When asked why she’s called Beloved, she recalls being called Beloved in the “dark place”(75) that was “hot”(75) and had no “room to move in”(75). This so-called dark place is a reference to the memories experienced by Beloved in her resting place. The whole time, she was trapped down under in a sunken place represented by the water that restricted her from seeing the real world and her family. Her ascendance from the water represents her coming back from the dead, or possibly hell which explains her extreme thirst for water since she wanted to replenish herself from the dark and uncomfortable “hell” that she has risen out of. On the bright side, water contradicts the barrier resemblance by also acting as an aid in reaching freedom. As Baby Suggs discusses with Mr.Garner about her new home, he claims that, “this is a city of water”(142) and “everything travels by water”(142). This not only shows how water is a significant element that
When Baby Suggs described her earlier days when she first arrived at 124, she remembers immediately “drinking every drop of water”(143) regardless of the fact that it “tasted like a serious medicine”(143). This connects to when Beloved came out of the water and drank several cups of water because both Baby Suggs and Beloved consumed large amounts of water in order to replenish their exhaustion and lifeless spirit. It proves that water is vital and solely capable of aiding someone . Later, when Beloved is describing her admiration for Sethe, she recalls her “going in the water with my face”(120). This is a flashback to when Beloved emerged out of the water because she’s now recalling the real event leading up to that occurrence. Similar to before, this can be perceived as a baptism process that brought Beloved into the world. Beloved was just a newborn when she was dragged under water along with Sethe, proving that she underwent a baptism-like process. Altogether, Beloved and Baby Suggs showed that water did more than just restore their energy, it gave them the ability and strength to stand back up and keep …show more content…
Throughout the course of Sethe’s journey as a slave, she encountered many close calls; one being her crossing the “bloody Ohio river”(31) after giving birth to Denver. The Ohio river is depicted as a barrier that endangered the life of Sethe because many factors such as drowning or freezing to death could’ve possibly killed both Sethe and the newborn Denver. On the other hand, Beloved experienced a journey similar to that of Sethe’s. When asked why she’s called Beloved, she recalls being called Beloved in the “dark place”(75) that was “hot”(75) and had no “room to move in”(75). This so-called dark place is a reference to the memories experienced by Beloved in her resting place. The whole time, she was trapped down under in a sunken place represented by the water that restricted her from seeing the real world and her family. Her ascendance from the water represents her coming back from the dead, or possibly hell which explains her extreme thirst for water since she wanted to replenish herself from the dark and uncomfortable “hell” that she has risen out of. On the bright side, water contradicts the barrier resemblance by also acting as an aid in reaching freedom. As Baby Suggs discusses with Mr.Garner about her new home, he claims that, “this is a city of water”(142) and “everything travels by water”(142). This not only shows how water is a significant element that