The Noble Garners

In Beloved by Toni Morrison there is a chapter about Baby Suggs' and her slavery experience. In this chapter, she narrates the horrors of the plantation she worked at before getting to Sweet Home. Morrison paints the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Garner, as "good" slave owners. They don't abuse their slaves, they make them work but not too hard, and Mr. Garner even allows Halle to buy his mother's freedom.

I am struggling to see why Toni Morrison made them out to seem like such heroes. If she's acknowledging that not all slave experiences were gross violations of humanity it largely down plays the violations of slavery as an institution. I believe her argument to be that the Garners were bad because they owned slaves but did not abuse them for the benefit of their own. They were "good" slave masters so that it would reflect on them negatively as people. But I feel like this is a largely missed point. Readers, like the Garners, are able to say that they are such nice and humane slave owners but completely omit the fact that the Garners owning slaves makes them wrong, because everything about the institution of slavery is flawed.

So long story short, the Garners can not be considered good people, not even conditionally, they are still slave owners which automatically taints their character.

Fluidity of Morrison's Stream of Conscoiusness

Toni Morrison's novel, Beloved, is an incredible novel in many different ways. One way the novel especially stands out is through Morrison's fluid writing style. The superimposition of the supernatural over such a haunting period of time gives rise to many different interesting narratives. Morrison weaves these narratives together allowing for a feeling that all the character's are bound in some way through the horrors of slavery, whether they have lived it or experienced it through the rich stories they hear. She gives rise to a feeling of communal memories shared by all the characters through her fluid language. She leaves the flow of narrative ambiguous allowing the same sensation or stories to belong to different characters at the same time. The fluidity of Morrison's stream of consciousness allows another dimension to her novel and allows the reader to feel the terrors of slavery and how its effects stretch through all the post slavery characters.

A Mother's Love

Finally! I was wondering when the question we were asked on that survey about whether it is acceptable for a mother to kill her child out of love would come up in Beloved (on the survey, I said that this was acceptable). So, let's discuss this!

At the end of part one of Beloved, we learn that Sethe is the one who killed Beloved, and that she intended to kill all of her other children as well. Why did she intend to commit this seemingly horrible act? She decided that it would be kinder to kill her children rather than let them experience the horror of slavery under schoolteacher.

Alright. Was Sethe's attempt to kill her children justifiable? In my opinion, she was. Paul D told Sethe that there could have been another way to save her children, but was there really another way? If they had tried to run from the slavecatchers, they surely would have been caught. No one in their town would be willing to harbor them, considering the town-wide grudge against Baby Suggs and her family after the party that they threw.

When Sethe saw schoolteacher, she realized the truth: there was no way out of her situation, and death was the only option. She loved her children, and decided that after tasting freedom, there was no going back to the unbearable harshness of slavery. According to Sethe, nothing is worse than slavery. Not death, not anything.

But what about the children? Would they want to be killed rather than experience slavery? We never even get their point of view. So can we really say with certainty that a mother is justified in killing their children out of love? Maybe, maybe not.

Morrison's Writing Style

When I read the first five pages of Beloved, I was so confused that I went back and read it again. At first I disliked Toni Morrison's style of writing in the novel. All of the unannounced flashbacks and changes in point of view were intimidating for me as a reader and I hated having to reread pages and chapters just so I could get a better sense of what was happening.
Although it took me the first 100 pages or so, I have become intrigued by Morrison's style of writing. It makes the story harder to read, but more interesting. I like knowing how each character thinks, something you definitely do not get in most books. The flashbacks also make the story more compelling, each character has had an experience in the past that makes them who they are in the present, and being able to hear all of them as a reader is unique.

The Significance of Names in Roots and Beloved

Until Mr. Heidkamp mentioned the miniseries, Roots, in class, I had forgotten that I watched the entirety of it with my family when I was little. I remembered it vaguely, mostly just that the guy from Reading Rainbow was in it. (Who else loved the Reading Rainbow?)

I couldn't reading a brief description of the plot, the pieces I remembered all fell together. 

It starts in Africa, following the story of Kunta Kinte. (His story truly is only a fraction of the entire show, it gets very complicated and heartbreaking very quickly.) He is captured and brought on a slave ship to Maryland, where he is sold into slavery and given the name "Toby." He refuses to accept his new name, not wanting to forget his tribal heritage.

Eventually, he marries and has a daughter which he names Kizzy, meaning "stay put" in his native Mandika language. Over Kizzy's lifetime, a lot (A LOT) happens, but she comes back to the plantation where she was born and finds her father's grave. She scratches out "Toby" and writes "Kunta Kinte."

I immediately connected this to Beloved, because Sethe wrote only the word "Beloved" on her daughter's grave, who comes back from the dead and goes only by the name "Beloved." I haven't yet learned what the baby's true name was, but that didn't matter because it wasn't what was written on her gravestone, so it was no longer her identity. 

There is significance to other character's names from Beloved, as well. Our names are the representation on paper of our identity, which I suppose matter most after our death. 

The Power of a Flashback

In Beloved, Toni Morrison makes a point out of including numerous flashbacks in each chapter. Some other authors do this too, but I think that the way Toni Morrison does it is different, because it's done in the same way that the mind works.
In real life, random thoughts often have the power to bring back memories, causing us to have flashbacks. This is the natural way of the human brain, so in Beloved, these flashbacks that Toni Morrison includes feel natural. They make reading feel like less of a task.

Protection Through Destruction

When we took that survey before beginning Beloved there was one question that I was stuck on for awhile. I felt like there had to be circumstances in which a mother's love could lead to the destruction of her child, but I couldn't come up with any. My answer to the question was yes, but I felt slightly unsure about it, since I was unable to put myself in the shoes of the child or the mother. However, after reading the last few chapters of part one I now feel confident in my answer. Sethe killed her daughter entirely out of fear that her baby would have to endure what Sethe did while she was a slave. She sincerely believed that death was the better alternative to the misery of slavery. This action is one that I can only imagine a mother executing. A mother wants the best for her child no matter what the circumstances. Most of the time wanting your child to be happy doesn't come down to the decision of whether or not you should kill them, but now I understand the circumstances in which it could.

Power of the Past

When we first started reading Beloved, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But after the first chapter, I will immediately drawn in by Toni Morrison's beautiful writing. As a writer myself, seeing how she weaves between the past and the present, point-of-views, and the thoughts of her characters amazes me. Her writing makes me smile because it is so effortlessly graceful, and authentic.

I like how the novel deals with the psychological and emotional effects of slavery. Sethe, Denver, Paul D, Beloved; they all seem so real. Throughout the story, there is a constant switch of POV. While at times it is a little confusing, it doesn't feel forced. I think it is also interesting that despite the fact that Sethe and Paul D. no longer work at Sweet Home, their life is still influenced by their experience as slaves. And while they try to put slavery behind them, the physical, emotional and psychological degradation is too much. The power of experiences and memories never leave us, and define us even when they were long ago.

Beloved Falls Apart

One of the strangest parts in a book of strange events is when Beloved's tooth falls out. That in itself isn't all that strange in itself, but what she thinks afterwards is. She thinks, "This is it. Next would be her arm, her hand, a toe. Pieces of her would drop maybe one at a time, maybe all at once" (157). What does she mean by this? Is she actually going to physically fall apart? In a world where ghosts are accepted as natural parts of life it certainly wouldn't be out of the question.

My best guess as to the explanation for this is she really is falling apart. She says this shortly after Paul D asks Sethe to have a baby with him. Even though she declines, it appears they have grown closer than ever before. We know Beloved can't stand to be away from Sethe, and this would certainly explain why. It would also explain why she doesn't like Paul D. It is almost as if she needs Sethe's complete attention or she can not exist in the physical world. That is my theory, at least. Perhaps it will be explained, perhaps not. But I will continue to eagerly read to see if Beloved falls apart.

What is so Beloved?

In Beloved, Toni Morrison effectively uses her specific style of writing as a means to convey this fluidity between the past and the present. As the reader is introduced to the Sweet Home crew it is apparent that their past slave experiences have made communal memories. This dynamic is most apparent with the Sweet Home boys and Sethe as they all directly faced the same obstacles of slavery. This disconnect between Denver and Sethe creates a barrier between the two as Denver feels isolated. Denver's inability to understand the Sweet Home mentality is something that bothers her dearly, which is something Morrison emphasizes. However, the reader can directly experience the memories of each person in the Sweet Home group as their memories are communal and fluid between time periods. Morrison uses her unique writing style to effectively show how the present is dependent on the past. Even more so the reader experiences this truth as Beloved is introduced and it interacts with each character.

"Be Your Own Story"

In Toni Morrison's commencement speech to Wellesley's class of 2004, she spoke about the value of storytelling. This line is particularly powerful:

"I am a teller of stories and therefore an optimist, a believer in the ethical bend of the human heart, a believer in the mind’s disgust with fraud and its appetite for truth, a believer in the ferocity of beauty." 

Morrison's style of writing lends faith in human nature and demonstrates the ferocity of beauty. I feel 100% comfortable letting myself fall into her world and trust her view of life, because it is presented in a way that is firm in it's truth about life's uncertainties, but optimistic in it's promotion of the beauty in individual stories. 

In Beloved, Toni Morrison develops each character by focusing less on dialogue, and more on the background of each character through their experiences/stories. This allows her to jump from person to person without losing the fluidity that is so present in her writing. She skillfully invites clear images that last until the next one overlaps and takes over, letting each story flow in a satisfying way that still allows density. Beloved is a nice transition from Heart of Darkness, because it holds a great deal of history, but feels more close to home.

What is Beloved's Darkness?

In Toni Morrison's book, Beloved, slavery plays a key role in the formation of the story and how everything develops from when Paul D arrives at 124. The flashbacks of Sweet Home that are intertwined with the story help to create the background for each character and further complicate the characters' relationships with each other. On pg. 88, Beloved is sitting with Denver and they seem to be getting along very well. Out of the blue, Denver asks Beloved why here name is what it is. Beloved then talks about the place that we as a class categorized as purgatory. Then we brought up the idea of a slave ship. I am really drawn in by this idea. Morrison makes another connection between the book and slavery that is perfectly incorporated into the story. I simply thought this was pure genius. The Middle Passage highlights the horrors of slavery. Hundreds of people were packed together for weeks. Many died on the boats in chains.
This is a perfect portrayal of purgatory. People's lives were taken away. This was their waiting room. Their destination, in slavery, is hell. It is an amazing and tragic portrayal that I think highlights the brilliance of Morrison's writing and takes Beloved's "place of darkness" to a whole new level of dark.

Beloved's Beloved

"He had never known a woman who lit up for nobody in particular, who just did it as a general announcement" (78).

The women Paul D knew were only interesting, lively people when they were trying to impress men. The Thirty-Mile Woman's happiness and well-being depended on Sixo finding her; Sethe lit up when Paul D arrived. Paul D claimed to hate that Beloved was ruining his idea of a family with Sethe and Denver, but really, he was not used to women being single. Sethe was the only woman at Sweet Home, and she married Halle after one year.

I would argue that Beloved lights up for Sethe, but Paul D is too blind to see that. Paul D questions, "If her shining was not for him, who then?" (78). Beloved was only interested in seeing Sethe again, but Paul D assumed that Beloved would seek his approval as the only man in the house.

We've been focusing in class about the obvious binary between slaves and their owners, but I think the binary between men and women is really interesting as well.

Did He Do It For Halle?

“He saw them boys do that to me and let them keep on breathing air? He saw? He saw? He saw?”

He saw. But what could he do? To make a successful escape, Halle knew that he couldn’t intervene. It wasn’t because he was a coward, in fact I believe that he let that happen because he truly truly loved her. Paul D said it killed Halle; it changed him. Making the choice to end her long term suffering instead of her immediate suffering broke him.


This kind of sacrifice -sacrificing another for the bigger picture- seems to be a pattern in the book. If you haven’t read yet, I won’t spoil it.

Anyways, now that Sethe knows, she’s really upset. Obviously. The emotional toll of the event is probably clouding her perspective. Even worse, Halle isn’t there to explain. He’s not there to tell her how much it hurt to watch, to tell her that he did it because he loved her. His memory is considerably more tainted and Sethe is even more sad and confused.

Paul, Paul, Paul… what were you thinking?

This isn’t looking good for Paul D. Actually it makes him kind of an ass. Simply put, he steals his best bud’s gal, then talks smack about him after he’s dead. Two counts of Bro Code violation.

But maybe not. Maybe he thought he was defending Halle, defending Halle for disappearing.

Did he do it for Halle, or did he do it for himself?

Our Brains Store Memories: Traitorous or Signs of an Ally?

Beloved by Toni Morrison so far hits the mark for eloquent yet clear language, complex ideas, an intriguing story line, emotion, United States history, and more. One of the reoccurring ideas of the book I have noticed is conscious memory, or when people actively try to remember something. Although Morrison mostly paints a picture in Sethe's and Paul D's lives that rarely include conscious memory, the times where conscious memories are included, can highlight moments of humanity of slaves and ex-slaves.

In light of many dark realities characters in the book face, Morrison exposes readers to a dimension of slavery that can be lost in translation: the part of Benjamin's mutual recognition where individuals acknowledge themselves as individuals.

"The closed portion of his head opened like a greased lock" (49)
"She shook her head side to side, resigned to her rebellious brain" (83)

Although many involuntary memories experienced by Sethe and Paul D are related to the horrors of slavery such as the iron bit, Sweet Home, or labor camps, other separate memories are positive. After learning that Halle had been watching her milk get stolen, Sethe thinks about when she first arrived at 124, when Baby Suggs was the glue that held the house and the community together. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the passage about the Clearing and Baby Suggs's role as a preacher, a source of encouragement, and a realist. Men, women, and children use the safe space to laugh, cry, and dance. I think Morrison tries to break traditional gender roles in that crying is not specific to women, and the way she rotates the words men, women, and children in the passage made it feel like a true community that supported one another in the wake of bondage.

I think our brain's holding capacity for any thought, conscious or otherwise, is amazing. Traumatic events can lead to the opposite reaction and I can see why. Memories of the past have held back many characters in the book from taking the present day with both hands.

Do you think actively remembering a positive memory can alleviate the painful, triggered memories of harder times? Or maybe it is not that simple.

Underlying Elements in Beloved

I have really enjoyed the spooky-ness and mystery in Beloved. I think the book has so many underlying ideas, and I think that once the reader sees them, the book becomes easier to understand -- but harder at the same time. 

I truly believe that there is a deeper meaning for why Beloved is there at 124. And I believe that her timing is very crucial. Before Paul D came along and was a prominent part of life at 124, the ghost of the house was pretty friendly and caused some trouble, but not too much. I truly think that Paul D is the main reason Beloved is there. She resents him and how he makes Sethe forget her old life. And after Beloved and Paul D's confrontation, I think it is even easier to tell this.

I also love all of the underlying history references in the novel. I think it's interesting to see these elements even though Morrison does not explicitly say them.

I really enjoy the writing of Beloved and how everything ties in together; the reader just has to dig a little deeper to find certain elements in the book. 

This Book Makes Me Uncomfortable and That's a Good Thing

Between the torture, rape, and death, Beloved seems to cover all its controversial bases, all in graphic detail. I did a little research, and found a Time Magazine article detailing from the reading list in Arlington IL.

A school board member in Arlington Heights, Ill., objected based on excerpt of the book that she’d found on the Internet. But in 2006, the book was retained on the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 reading list in Arlington Heights, along with the other challenged titles. The book was also pulled from the senior Advanced Placement English class at Eastern High School in Louisville, K.Y., this year, because two parents complained that the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about antebellum slavery depicted the inappropriate topics of bestiality, racism, and sex. 

This was extremely disappointing to read. We need more books like these that are willing to stick their literary necks in front of the blade that is public perception, all the in the name of educating society on the harsh reality of these actions instead of sweeping them under the rug. Torture is real. Rape is real. Death is real. Does a five year old need to know that? No. But a highschooler should. Otherwise, we run the risk of someone (without malicious intentions) committing one of these atrocities without even knowing they were. It all stems from a lack of education, and I think books like Belved are helping with that problem.

Amy & Sethe

While reading Beloved, I found the interactions between Amy and Sethe quite strange. While of course it was great that Amy decided to help Sethe and help her deliver Denver, she would not fully treat her with respect and still had a patronizing tone while talking to her. Obviously, Beloved is a racially charged book, but I was really surprised when Amy used the n-word to describe a woman who had once come by her house (94). I'd figured that as long as she was helping Sethe, she would be an overall good and non-racist person. But racism was (and still is) such a systemized and normal thing back then, that she surely thought that the n-word was simply the word to describe a black individual. I was also surprised by the way she talked down to Sethe. "She don't know nothing, just like you. You don't know a thing. End up dead, that's what. Not me. I'm a get to Boston and get myself some velvet." (94) I don't think Amy was the brightest person, either, which could be the reason that she kept repeating how she was going to Boston. Either that or she needed to keep rubbing it in Sethe's face, which in of itself is bogus. There's no doubt that Amy is a compassionate person; she massaged Sethe's feet, did her best to keep her comfortable, and draped spider webs over her wounds. In Sethe's situation, Amy was certainly better than no one. Still, it seemed weird and patronizing (which could just be the times talking) how Amy talked to her.

Beloved's Women

Within the novel, Sethe, Denver, Beloved, and Baby Suggs represent different aspects of feminity and the various roles women played within the society at that time. Each character is very complex and layered with veils of mystery surrounding them. On a first impression, Sethe would be an independent adult women, Denver is an adolescent, Beloved is a baby, and Baby Suggs is the ultimate caregiver. But the more you learn about the women, you can see that all of them embody the different roles each possess. Sethe is childlike in the sense that she won't accept her past and has a very narrow view of the present world. Like a young girl, she has a hard time facing her previous flaws and prefers to focus on the now. Even though she killed her baby, she is still a motherly figure and cares for her young. She knows the terrible life slaves lead and she sacrificed her baby to save her from that pain. She was wrong to do it but she did it from a place of love, not spite or cruelty.
Denver is mostly a child, but her relationship with Beloved exposes her to the world of adulthood. Her sheltered life with Sethe has hindered her from becoming an independent woman. But with Beloved, she is learning what it is like to not constantly have attention, and what is means to be responsible for another person's well being. She is dual child and adult because while she depends on Beloved, she also has to take care of her. That sense of care giving may have come from her grandmother, Baby Suggs, because for years she was a parent to everyone who came to her. She was able to lift people up and make them feel as if they were apart of something during her sermons. Even though she was a leader and cherished by those around her, the years of slavery she endured kept part of her mind in almost an infant state. As a baby, one is not able to form an identity, and slavery stripped Suggs of hers.

Denver

Through the first two chapters of Beloved I thought Denver was a young girl, perhaps ten years old. When Paul D arrives, Denver becomes jealous of the shared memories between her mother and Paul D. She tries to draw her mother's attention back to herself by bringing up the baby. Later, Denver rudely asks how long Paul D was planning on "hanging around," (52) just as a young, discontented child would. And let's not forget that Denver also has a secret "boxwood" fort in which she stores her most prized possessions, various bottles of cologne. She even stole a bottle from her mother.

However, Denver is actually eighteen years old. When Paul D first meets Denver, he mused, "Last time I saw your mama, you were pushing out the front of her dress," (13) which was eighteen years ago. I believe Denver is portrayed as a young girl to emphasize the dependence she has on her mother. She is a grown child. I believe this characterization of Denver was meant to emphasize the strong connection between every one in the house. Denver strongly relies on her mother, who relies on the house as well as Paul D. Paul D relies on Sethe, who also seems to rely on the ghost baby. Beloved relies on Sethe, and Denver relies on Beloved.