Past trauma is not easily forgotten because of its need to be acknowledged and accepted. The novel Beloved by Toni Morrison explores the killing and haunting happening in 124. Sethe, Denver, and Paul D deal with the consequences of eliminating the presence for it only to be replaced by a physical presence of the same person, Beloved, as it seems. Although Beloved only comes into contact with three people, her presence affects the entire town, prompting them to examine how slavery affected them and how they dealt with it. Only as the story progresses can other characters begin to comprehend the reasons that led Sethe to murder her baby. Beloved resurrection is so far fetched that the unimaginable suffering of slaves becomes more believable
…show more content…
She did not look at them; she simply swung the baby toward the wall planks, missed and tried to connect a second time, when out of nowhere—in the ticking time the men spent staring at what there was to stare at—the old nigger boy, still mewing, ran through the door behind them and snatched the baby from the arch of its mother 's swing" (Morrison 141). Sethe chose to take an extreme action to secure the safety of her children rather than have them taken back to Sweet Home to live, work, and die as slaves. She knows how dehumanizing slavery can, from being compared to an animal to having her breast milk stolen. The pain and suffering that consumes her eventually takes shape as Beloved. Beloved is seemingly back from the dead, taking her place in Sethe 's life as if she was never killed. Once Sethe realizes that this is indeed her daughter, they begin a mother daughter relationship. Sethe cares and nurtures for Beloved, Beloved in return punishes Sethe and Sethe allows herself to be enslaved by her, succuming to her needs until she is almost consumed by her. Sethe attempts to explain her reasoning for killing her to a now grown Beloved. She thinks to herself, "...Beloved might leave. Leave before Sethe could make her realize that worse than that—far
She did not look at them; she simply swung the baby toward the wall planks, missed and tried to connect a second time, when out of nowhere—in the ticking time the men spent staring at what there was to stare at—the old nigger boy, still mewing, ran through the door behind them and snatched the baby from the arch of its mother 's swing" (Morrison 141). Sethe chose to take an extreme action to secure the safety of her children rather than have them taken back to Sweet Home to live, work, and die as slaves. She knows how dehumanizing slavery can, from being compared to an animal to having her breast milk stolen. The pain and suffering that consumes her eventually takes shape as Beloved. Beloved is seemingly back from the dead, taking her place in Sethe 's life as if she was never killed. Once Sethe realizes that this is indeed her daughter, they begin a mother daughter relationship. Sethe cares and nurtures for Beloved, Beloved in return punishes Sethe and Sethe allows herself to be enslaved by her, succuming to her needs until she is almost consumed by her. Sethe attempts to explain her reasoning for killing her to a now grown Beloved. She thinks to herself, "...Beloved might leave. Leave before Sethe could make her realize that worse than that—far