Thankfully, my viewpoint was changed on page 207, with Sethe's internal monologue about Beloved:
"The click had clicked; things were where they ought to be or poised and ready to glide in."At this moment, I realized the brilliance of Morrison's writing style, whether or not it was intentional. Everything was where it ought to be, which I was well aware of, but I was not giving her writing the benefit of the doubt that everything else was "poised" and ready to come in later. As I went back and reread sections of the novel, I understood better Morrison's intention of what she chooses to reveal at certain points.
I've found a fantastic example of this to be why Sethe is stigmatized by her community. At first, Morrison only tells us that she is shunned, insinuating that it's only because of the house she lives in. However, the pieces slowly come together, and we find out that it's not just the house, it's the ghost --> it's not just the ghost, it's her baby --> it's not just her baby, it's her baby, who she killed! How brilliant!
Morrison's extraordinary technique for building up suspense over the course of 200+ pages is one that I have finally learned to appreciate, thanks to Sethe's happy realization that her baby had come back to her.
I felt the same way when I was reading the first part of Beloved. I could appreciate the poetic nature of Toni Morrison's writing style, but I found it difficult to keep track of the plot and the characters as well as analyze the literary genius of the novel. Now however, I feel like I have gotten accustomed to her style and it is easier for me to follow.
ReplyDeleteThat's actually why I loved the book! I knew that she was purposefully feeding us these small chunks of information that would unravel soon enough, and I was excited to find out where the book was going. I definitely feel that it would be worth a reread though. Many early plot points would probably click after finishing the book.
ReplyDeleteI have yet to experience a similar revelation, but am happy to hear your perception of Beloved has changed for the better. I do agree that Morrison's writing is very carefully and beautifully crafted to maintain suspense and tension through the book. Personally though, the moments that are meant to alleviate the tension are major letdowns. Personally, I've found that beauty and craftsmanship are outweighed by the overall unpleasant experience of reading the book.
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