The tree symbol occurs frequently throughout Beloved with multiple meanings and various interpretations. Trees in the novel are shown to be both harmful and inviting or comforting therefore the tree imagery is linked to life and death and the struggles that the characters face throughout their lives. In Beloved, trees mean something different to each of the main characters. For most of them, they mean something positive with the exception of Sethe. Sethe’s past life has been far too hard on her to find something positive in in something as beautiful as a tree.
In the first chapter of the novel, Sethe recalls lynching’s she witnessed at the Sweet Home plantation. She recalls “Boys hanging from the most beautiful sycamores in the world” (7) which creates a sense of irony since the most striking thing to her from the lynching is the beautiful trees rather than the lives of the young boys that were lost. In the novel, trees are mostly used by the characters to symbolize serenity and soundness with Sethe being the only exception. To Sethe, trees carry negative connotations unlike the other characters in the novel. The negative connotations that come with Sethe’s perception of the trees infers that she has a hard time being able to appreciate the serenity that trees carry …show more content…
The older woman held a make shift church, or simply a prayer circle, in the woods. Suggs would pray on a rock in a clearing surrounded by many tall trees. She would then call out to the children, men, and women and tell them to emerge from the trees and come join her in prayer. Baby Suggs praying with her people in the clearing of the forest is what kept her going. Once the white men invaded her house, she felt she had nothing left to pray for and eventually became depressed without prayer and interaction. Sethe often visited the clearing when she felt she needed guidance from Baby Suggs after she passed
In the first chapter of the novel, Sethe recalls lynching’s she witnessed at the Sweet Home plantation. She recalls “Boys hanging from the most beautiful sycamores in the world” (7) which creates a sense of irony since the most striking thing to her from the lynching is the beautiful trees rather than the lives of the young boys that were lost. In the novel, trees are mostly used by the characters to symbolize serenity and soundness with Sethe being the only exception. To Sethe, trees carry negative connotations unlike the other characters in the novel. The negative connotations that come with Sethe’s perception of the trees infers that she has a hard time being able to appreciate the serenity that trees carry …show more content…
The older woman held a make shift church, or simply a prayer circle, in the woods. Suggs would pray on a rock in a clearing surrounded by many tall trees. She would then call out to the children, men, and women and tell them to emerge from the trees and come join her in prayer. Baby Suggs praying with her people in the clearing of the forest is what kept her going. Once the white men invaded her house, she felt she had nothing left to pray for and eventually became depressed without prayer and interaction. Sethe often visited the clearing when she felt she needed guidance from Baby Suggs after she passed