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Toni Morrison's Beloved-Past, Present, Future

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Past, Present, Future
Sethe ignores her senses that Beloved is her reincarnated daughter in an older body. She assumes that Beloved is traumatized from escaping years of captivity. Beloved holds so much power in Sethe's family. She makes Denver feel rejected and lonely and seduces Paul D. Beloved chooses to interact with Sethe more than Denver, asking Sethe about stories of the past, that Denver has no interest in. Denver also knows about Beloved’s attentions to Paul D because she has noted her nighttime trips to the cold house where he sleeps. Beloveds love is so powerful that it turns the , “... tobacco tin buried in [Paul D’s] chest where a red heart used to be. Its lid rusted shut,” (135) into a,“Red heart. Red heart. Red heart.”(213) Beloved …show more content…
She is often described as having ghost like qualities appearing and disappearing. Beloved has the emotional maturity of a toddler, though she is very manipulative. There is more clarity on why Sethe refuses to look at the signs. Sethe killed her daughter and has never faced the pain. If she accepted Beloved was her daughter she would have to deal with the tragedy again. There is much evidence that Beloved is the baby such as when she asked Sethe, “‘Where your diamonds?” Beloved searched Sethe’s face.’Diamonds? What would I be doing with diamonds?’ ‘On your ears.’ ‘Wish I did. I had some crystal once. A present from a lady I worked for.’ ‘Tell me,’ said Beloved, smiling a wide happy smile. ‘Tell me your diamonds.’” (88) These diamonds are the one Sethe use to play with her baby with. Sethe ignores clues like these because she murdered her baby out of love. Sethe murdered her kids because the white schoolteacher came to take Sethe back to slavery. She was afraid they would take her babies to. Sethe attempts to murder her sons as well but the scape. This traumatic event could be one of the reasons she does not want to have kids with Paul D. Beloved I think is waiting for Sethe to come forward and acknowledge it

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