Beloved 236-277

               I noticed that these few chapters were divided into two general sections—first, the somewhat-confusing monologues of Sethe, Denver, and Beloved, and second, Paul D remembering the escape plans and speaking with Stamp Paid. The reading opens with Sethe’s stream of consciousness, starting with “Beloved, she my daughter. She mine. See. She come back to me of her own free will and I don’t have to explain a thing” (Morrison 236). Throughout the chapter, Sethe speaks about being a mother and her desire to explain her motivations to Beloved. She recalls her own mother and expresses her desire to serve as a true mother for Beloved now that she has returned. The following chapter depicts Denver’s thoughts, as she discusses her fear surrounding her mother. Denver is afraid Sethe might try to kill her as well, saying “maybe there is something else terrible enough to make her do it again” (242). She sympathizes with her brothers for leaving and expresses her desire to protect Beloved in the future—especially from Sethe. She holds on to the hope that Halle will come to 124 and somehow save them. Following that, is Beloved’s narration, which I personally found the most confusing and disturbing—not only the content but the setup of the pages as well, with large spaces and no punctuation. The chapter has a haunting vibe, as Beloved discusses a dark and hot place—referencing the middle passage, just as before. The repetition of phrases like, “my dead man” and “the hot thing” as well as references to teeth and chewing is extremely disturbing—adding a haunting atmosphere to her thoughts.

               The chapter after this was the most confusing for me to read, as it seems to be a combination of Sethe, Denver, and Beloved’s words at the same time. It was difficult to tell who was speaking and their words appear to blend together in a cacophonic chorus of thoughts. I found it interesting how each character’s thoughts were represented differently—yet they all seemed to be an outpouring of their emotions and struggles after being held inside for so long. These few chapters, in particular, were difficult to grasp the meaning of, however it was interesting to read, due to how Morrison chose to depict each character’s feelings—be it Denver’s fearful and longing portion, or Beloved’s haunting and poetic words.

               Another thing I found interesting is how Sethe, in particular, blames Paul D for her inability to initially recognize Beloved as her dead daughter—especially because of his words later in the novel. After his flashback to Sweet Home, where we learn more about the escape and what went wrong, he talks with Stamp Price about the situation in Cincinnati. Stamp expresses his empathy for Sethe, telling Paul D he understands Sethe’s motives for killing Beloved and knows she had no cruel motive for her actions. Paul D replies by saying, “Sethe scares me. I scare me. And that girl in her house scared me the most” (276). I find it incredibly ironic that Paul D blames Beloved for the divisions within 124 when all the inhabitants blame him in return. I’m curious as to why only Paul D and Stamp Price have been the only people to see Beloved outside of Sethe and Denver. All of the haunting imagery in these chapters lead me to believe something bad will happen with Beloved. Also, it seems the story of the escape is almost done, and I am curious if we will find out what happened to Halle.