Skin Symbolism In Beloved

When determining the age of a tree one knows that they must look no further than at the number of tree rings, each ring representing a new year, and this idea of aging marks is paralleled with human skin in Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. Morrison’s Beloved focuses on characters who experience the struggles of being a slave in America. Although not all of the characters experienced slavery firsthand, each character has a connection to the horrific consequences that come with both being a slave and attempting to escape towards a life of freedom. The novel introduces the reader to characters of varying ages and a reader may believe that age alone is enough to determine a character’s life experience, yet this is not the case. A character’s perceived age can be deceiving and only through an examination of the wearing on their skin can the reader get a sense of true experiences that character has faced. The descriptions of skin and their markings, or lack thereof, in …show more content…
In her explanation to Paul D, Sethe recounts the vivid tree description provided to her by Amy Denver, “A chokecherry. Trunk, branches, and even leaves. Tiny little chokecherry leaves. But that was eighteen years ago. Could have cherries too now for all I know” (18). In this passage Sethe reveals that she has not herself seen the tree that scars her back, yet she also does not dismiss the fact that it exists and continues to grow with her. Sethe also vividly remembers how long ago the tree was “planted” onto her back and even recognized that it may be due time for the tree to bear fruit, yet she would never be aware. It is also intriguing to think about how a tree needs continued care to grow and even though Sethe may never see what the tree grows into, by continuing to sustain herself she is also sustaining the tree that continues to grow with