Symbolism In Toni Morrison's Beloved

Toni Morrison’s Beloved is one of the most famous and brilliant novel written in 1987. The novel is based on the story of an African- American slave Margaret Garner, who escaped slavery in Kentucky January 1856 by traveling to Ohio, which was a free state during slavery. Sethe is one of the main characters in Beloved who attempts to escapes slavery by running to Cincinnati, Ohio with her four children (Howard, Buglar, Beloved, and Denver). Ital Iman’s The Book of Chilam Balam of the River City states that, “After twenty-eight days of freedom, a posse arrives to retrieve her and her children under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which gave slave owners the right to pursue slaves across state borders” (Iman 89). Sethe troubles with the horrible …show more content…
Jung clarifies that, “the beliefs that symbol creation is a key in understanding human nature. Symbol, as defined by Jung, is the best possible expression for something essentially unknown” (Psychology History). One of the most essential symbols Morrison applies in Beloved is the tobacco tin box which refers to the character Paul D and his enclosed feelings or emotions. The tobacco tin box suggests that Paul D is cold hearted, detached, self-contained, and emotionally hard to understand by …show more content…
Paul D used the tobacco tin box for secrecy and privacy which sealed away the pain and suffering that he felt over the years. This forces Paul D to say “Red heart. Red heart” over again. Morrison implies that Paul D’s “Red heart” symbolizes life, vehemence, and love. Beloved forcing herself onto Paul D indicated a rebirth of Paul D’s hidden emotional side, which means he had to channel his feelings from the dark side to experience such emotions again. “Red heart. Red heart” signifies Paul D’s experiences with the past and with death due Beloved representing each aspect equally. The color red symbolizes sensitive emotions and feelings from traumatizing experiences such as being in prison at a camp in Alfred, Georgia and memories of torment at Sweet Home Plantation that were trapped for years within Paul D. This quote clearly demonstrates that being an African- America and a slave came with trials and tribulations that destroyed ones’ mind, heart, and thoughts. Samantaray Swati’s Non-Verbal Communication: The Use of Chromatics inn Toni Morrison’s Novels suggests that, “Colours are also used in Beloved as an escape from the black world, but instead of being a point of contention, they reassure and offer comfort... while ‘the red heart’ of Paul D stands for his deep emotions” (Swati 4). In the above quote