Chamomille in Beloved

Near the beginning of the novel, the smell and sap of chamomile are mentioned several times during Paul D and Sethe's reunion. While it is a minor detail, I feel as though too much emphasis was put on it for it not to be significant. It is first mentioned when Sethe runs to the water pump, and begins to wash the sap off of her using the water pump. She explains that she was covered in it because she was careless and had taken a shortcut through a field. Here, chamomile represents the mistakes of her past, and the water pump is her penance. Although is literally representative of the moment she is in, it could also refer to the mistakes of her past, like her attempt on her children's lives. This is even more significant in that chamomile is known to be associated with miscarriages when consumed during pregnancy, and Sethe killed the child that remained unnamed. Without her name, she never went through traditional birth customs, and in a way could be symbolically never born. Therefore, it is almost as if Sethe washes away the sins of her Beloved's murder at the water pump.

But despite the fact that she washed herself of sin, Paul D sings about their meeting and describes Sethe as still having the sap on her legs, as though he himself had not accepted that she washed herself of it. This is shown later when Sethe confesses what happened. Sethe defends herself as justified in doing so, but Paul D is unable to see her the same way, and leaves. Although it is a bit far fetched, it is possible that Morrison intended chamomile to be a symbol of sin.