Beloved: A psychoanalytical reflection

The psychoanalytic lens was an interesting and challenging lens choice for the reading of Toni Morrison's Beloved. Although, on the surface, the book seemed to have less to analyze psychoanalytically as it did feminist, or through other lenses, by the end of the novel, with a careful eye, I was able to learn many things about the characters' inner motivations and struggles. In this blog, as a wrap up, I want to note what I learned about the three central characters: Sethe, Denver and Paul D.

Sethe - Sethe is quite possibly the most damaged character of the novel, and because of this, there was much to learn about her psychologically. First I noticed her unwillingness to trust others. She's wary of new people, even of Paul D at first, even though she used to know him. This is because of all of the things that have been done to her in her life. So much has been taken away, so much pain has been dealt, that she cannot manage to trust people in life. Another thing I noticed with Sethe is how she tries to pretend her hardships weren't so bad, by attempting to paint them in a better light (example: the chokecherry tree, which I previously wrote about). This is another byproduct of all the abuse she was subjected to as a slave. Her only coping mechanism is denial.

Denver - The main thing I noticed about Denver is her emotional instability, and like her mother, inability to trust others. She, at first, is very wary of Paul D. Later on, she is also unsure of Beloved, even though Sethe adores her, and this wariness is what eventually leads to the neighbors' exorcism of Beloved. In this way, her inability to trust new people is both a detracting quality and a beneficial one.

Paul D - Paul D has experienced, arguably, just as much pain and suffering as Sethe, yet he copes with the pain differently. Instead of repainting them as less torturous than they truly were, he does his best to forget those times, to pretend as if that part of his life simply never existed. Whether this is a better coping strategy is purely opinion, but I believe it's better than pretending that Sweet Home and slavery wasn't a bad experience. Paul also struggles with his concept of being a man. At Sweet Home, Garner called him a man, but later on the schoolteacher punished him, making him question himself. Not only that, but the things he was forced to do in slave camp, and the things Beloved did to him (moving him around the house against his will) made him question who he really was.

These are just a few of the many psychoanalytic aspects of Beloved, but they, in my opinion, are the most notable.

Rape, and its relevance to Beloved

Rape is a very serious subject, and something that cannot be approached lightly. It can change people, affecting great psychological damage that in most cases can never be eased. Morrison knows this, yet chooses to attack it head on in Beloved, as she does slavery.

In Pamela E. Barnett's article, Figurations of Rape and the Supernatural in Beloved, Barnett discusses how Morrison uses rape as a central part of the novel. Barnett claims that the book is haunted by rape in two ways: figuratively, with allusions to past rape and sexual abuse littered throughout the text, and literally, with Beloved's haunting of the house and sexual abuse of men (Paul D).

The rape that occurred in the past has dealt a great deal of trauma to both Paul D and Sethe, has changed the way they act, and has forever damaged them mentally. Sethe was most affected by the time she was raped by the men on the plantation, those who also stole her milk. She can no longer see herself the same way, but forever sees herself as tainted, as imperfect. Not only that, but she cannot take joy in sex as she once was able to. This is shown in the scene with Paul D. After they make love, rather than feeling relaxed or happy, she is filled with remorse.

The same is true with Paul D. After his experiences at the slave camp, he is broken, and feels as though his heart is locked inside of a "tin can." After sex with Sethe, he is likewise unfulfilled and disinterested. Morrison uses these displays as illustrations of the destructive power of rape, and allows the reader to understand just how broken rape victims can feel.

Responding and Reflecting: 2

Whenever I would describe the text Beloved, I would always have one adjective to describe the book, Heavy. The reason why I use this word over all others is that the reason being, there is so much that you can describe with the word heavy. Beloved is emotionally heavy, mentally heavy, spiritually heavy, and overall just a lot to take in, even if the part might seem some what mundane, but there is more than meets the eye in the book beloved. Beloved is overall fairly stuffed with many messages and meanings to be discovered by the reader, who might just either glance over one, or find a new meaning. The meaning or idea that I have taken away the most is the meaning of sticking together, Sethe, is essentially the heart of her family, every issue is tackled head on by her, but is never reluctant to receive help, especially from kind hearts like Amy Denver. This was the meaning that I had noticed form more and more over time as the text had progressed more and more, especially with the lens that I had.  Beloved is a book that can take anyone on an emotional journey, regardless of their ethnic background. From the moment the book starts until the book ends the reader can find themselves giving sympathy to many different characters in the book. This is why I chose the word heavy to describe beloved, the whole book takes the reader on a journey of all emotions, where there is a dark past behind many characters, all whom might be still trying to escape it.

I found that Beloved is a book that can have a way to change anyone's viewpoint, and can emotionally hook the reader at some point.What I have learned most about my lens is that the Marxist lens can be applied to any book, regardless if the book were written without any Marxist ideals. What I have seen is that there can always be more and more meanings that can be taken away from any text.

Responding and Reflecting: 1

What I have learned from Beloved is that society as a whole was so incredibly stagnated just over 100 years ago. Beloved showed me that it is important to keep those that are important close to you, but to also meet new people that might become important to you; and it is essential to keep those very people close. From what I have seen is that keeping, and taking care of those people that are important to you comes a long way, especially in a place where things might not come close to getting better. I have always believed that our country is a large melting pot of different cultures come to create a diverse place where everyone can have  a part in, but unfortunately, a lot of oppression and sorrow had lasted long before things had changed, and can be argued that things still need to be changed. It is hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that there are times in a country like this that people had been impoverished and kept oppressed because of the color of their skin, where they were "free" but not really free. When choosing my lens originally, I had very large doubts about finding anything close to Marxist ideals or themes, however, as I had read on, I had managed to surprise myself. While even though they might not be implied, there are themes in Beloved that could be interpreted as Marxist. The main one that I took away from the book was the working class sticking together, where they could manage to keep moving on when the privileged and wealthy had kept them oppressed. This is what I had really kept noticing and had really opened my eyes to the many themes that could be considered Marxist. I now will try reading more often with the Marxist lens, as it might be implied or not, but it still can be ever present in any text.

Marxist Critical Lens Experts: 2

For this Blog I had read the article: Bigotry, Breast Milk, Bric-a-Brac, a Baby, and a Bit in "Beloved" Toni Morrison's Portrayal of Racism and Hegemony. From what I have read this article mainly focuses on how racism was ingrained in the time that Beloved was based in, and how this racism had affected the very people it was intended to oppress. One of the most memorable parts was how the author had referenced how Morrison described that People of Color had to determine the different types of White People, and how some of them were out to make them feel like they were less than human, like the Schoolteacher, and some who were part of oppressive groups like the Klu Klux Klan. One of the main things of this article was the intense institutionalized racism, how it was in place to make African Americans feel like they were unequal to those that were white. One of the acts that was mentioned that amplifies this claim is the one in particular where Schoolteachers' nephews has "milked" Sethe, by forcing her into an act that was only to be done to animals was meant to break Sethe feel like she was worth less than a person, clearly showing how intense the racism was at the time. This also illuminates the harsh realities that many African Americans had to suffer through, really making the dedication at the beginning of Beloved much more powerful. Like the previous Interpretation I had read, I there were no claims that were similar to the ones I had made in previous entries, but while I do agree with the ones that are being presented in this one, I do not think that the Author was going in to highlight the Marxist themes that could be interpreted in Beloved.

Marxist Critical Lens Experts: 1

For my Critical Lens, I had read the article titled: To Be Loved: Amy Denver and Human Need: Bridges to Understanding in Toni Morrison's "Beloved. From what I understand about this article is that there are many different arguments about the internal messages that are trying to be conveyed by Toni Morrison in beloved. What the author has mainly essentially argued is that there are several things that Morrison is trying to convey is that: There are many different Biblical References, That oppression affects just more than one group of people, and that there are good souls no matter the color of the person's skin, or their gender. In terms of the Biblical References, the Author mentions the part where Amy washes Sethe's feet, relating that part to where Jesus washes the feet of his twelve disciples in the bible, the Author uses this inference to make a relation that there are biblical themes throughout the book, and that this is just one example of that. For the case of oppression, the Author not only references Sethe's struggle when she was an escaped slave, but also mentions Amy Denver, an indentured servant who was kept by her master, using this that it was not just African Americans that were being oppressed, and that the only people who were not oppressed were those who were wealthy, white men. Last but not least the last themes that was being pointed out was the point that there are always good people, again, tying back to Amy Denver; as she was someone who had stood by Sethe's side, even during the harshest of times, stating that if it was not for Amy, Sethe would not have a story to tell. I do agree with these several messages and themes that are being pointed out, but I would also like to mention that there was no real marxist feel in the author's analysis of Beloved, she did not point out any marxist characteristics of the book, and neither did the author or I make the same arguments about our interpretations of the text.

Second Chance Sethe (RR2)

This was a really long confusing book. Before starting I didn't know much historical context when it came to slavery and post Civil War events. After reading this book through the new historic lens I feel I have much more knowledge of this time period in history. By being able to look deeper into historical events I got a better understanding of what the characters were going through at that time. Along with learning about the time period I was able to also research common events and crops that were sold back then. By digging deeper into harvesting of tobacco I learned a lot about who smoked it and how it was sold. Learning that the slaves didn't get paid to do work during the week days really shocked me. It was a really tough life being a slave and being forced to work. Sethe who had three children disliked being a slave so much that she actually killed her third born kid so that they would not have to suffer through it. In this book the theme of second chances is prominent for all of the characters. Although she killed her third born we see her come back into Sethe's life as a new character named Beloved. Sethe also gets a second chance when she thinks history is repeating itself with Mr. Bodwin coming up her walk way. Instead of killing her daughter like she did last time a bunch of white people came up her driveway she takes matters into her own hands and goes out to fight him. By Sethe redeeming herself to Beloved and sticking up for her Beloved finally leaves Sethe's house.

I don't usually like history when being taught in class. This book was able to engage me in a story about the history of what the African American population went through during the 1800's. Nowadays history textbooks are just filled with facts but there are no opinions or stories from the people who lived during this time. Stories are able to make you feel emotion to the people who experienced the event. I was able to feel anger and shock when big events happened in beloved. From analyzing in the new historic I now know much more about what the African American community had to go through.

Responding and Reflecting 1

I find slavery to be a very cruel disgusting subject. It's not right to completely exile a group of people just because of their race. I can feel for Sethe and Paul D for what they had to go through at Sweet Home. The problem with slavery is that although it was abolished and is now illegal, the African American community still got treated differently for many years after. During the time period Beloved was written the African American community had been freed from slavery about 20 years before but now Sethe and her family have to adjust to their new life. Going from being a prisoner to your owner and having no say in what you do to then being free to do what you want would be a tough transition. I think this can be compared to me going off to college. I have lived under the roof of my parents house my whole life and now in three months I will leave them and head off to college by myself. Sethe and the other slaves probably had very mixed emotions about leaving. Although they are finally free, the slave plantation is the only life that they knew. I feel the transition into college will be very hard at the beginning. Not being able to see my friends and family that I have been with for so many years will be a hard transition. I know that I will make new friends at the University of Arizona but I will miss my life in California. Throughout the story characters have flashbacks to their life on the plantations as a slave. Although this was a very dark time in their life the characters can't just forget everything that happened. I know that I will never forget all the great times I've had at Summit even though I will be leaving everything behind to start a new life in college. I can relate to Sethe in the fact that i'm excited for this new chapter in my life as she was when she left Sweet Home to start a new life.

Once upon a time... (CLE)

"Storytelling also allows individuals to forge social and inter-personal bonds. So, Sethe longs to share the burden of her life experience with Paul D." (Revisions, Rememories and Exorcisms)

Story telling has been around forever. It is a way of sharing your life experiences or making up new ones. Most people gather stories that they experience or are told to them. Many influential authors are very famous for sharing personal stories from their life. Other authors make up stories in order to entertain or shock audiences. Story telling is a fun way to learn more about other people and share memories you have been through.

In Beloved Characters like Sethe and Grandma Suggs have many stories of their horrid, crazy pasts. Sethe and Paul D used to live together on the Sweet Home plantation. When they rekindle their friendship from when they were slaves they both have many stories to share about what they have been through. 

In the quote at the top by, Cynthia Hamilton, she explains how Sethe finally shares her story of life at Sweet Home. This is a big part in the text since Paul D experienced most of the same hardships as well. It says, "Her story was bearable because it was his as well -- to tell, to refine and tell again." (pg. 99) Sethe and Paul D connect on a way deeper level when sharing their experience together. This passage talks a lot about how multiple points of view really piece the story together to gain all of the information of what happened in everyones life during slavery. It explains how by using dialect and characters stories you are able to feel more emotion as if they were telling their story to you. By both adding in parts of what they experience it gives the reader a more clear view of what all the characters felt. When Sethe shares her stories it is the first time that Denver has actually heard what her mom had to go through at Sweet Home. Sethe is able to release all of her emotion and is much better after this and feels much closer to Paul D.

Later on in the book when Paul D confronts Sethe with the newspaper article Sethe is forced to share a very tough time in her past where she was forced to kill her third kid. When Paul D hears of this he is shocked and disgusted and his anxiety of Beloved compelled him to move out of 124. Sometimes stories don't in fact bring people together and can really affect others involved.

Songs in Times of Hardship (CLE)

People have used music and songs as a way to express their feelings for forever. Music has been around forever, "The "oldest known song" was written in cuneiform, dating to 3400 years ago from Ugarit." Music has evolved from tribal chants in the African countries to folk chants in European countries. As it evolved new instruments were invented to have a background to sing to. Current day music is much different to music from many years ago. Now instead of playing instruments by yourself artist have access to all kinds of sounds from their computer. By having this new technology new forms of music such as dub step and techno have been created. Forever music has been bringing people together to match whatever emotions you are feeling.

In the passage Peter J. Capuano says that Toni Morrison had a lot more freedom in how she wrote the story as opposed to Douglas's Narrative in 1845 during slavery. He says that, "she is free to
focus more on song as a point of access into the reverberating effects of slavery's horrors." I felt that Toni definitely did not hold back when going into the gory details and it really helped paint a vivid picture of what life after slavery would actually be like.

In the 1800's when Beloved was written slave songs were a popular way for the slaves to get through the long hard days on the fields. Music is mentioned frequently in Beloved. Sethe, as slave at Sweet Home, probably sang a lot in order to get through the hardships that she faced. We can infer that when her mother died she sang many songs in remorse of the tragic incident. In Beloved when Sethe is talking about how her mother died she says, "Hung. By the time they cut her body down nobody could tell whether she had a circle and a cross or not," referring to her mothers branding on her arm, "least of all me and I did look." (pg 73) All the blacks back then went through a lot of hard ships but Sethe in particular dealt with her own daughter dying and many other close people that she was close with. When Sethe is with Amy Denver, Amy sings her an old song from her mother to calm Sethe. Amy is braiding Sethe's hair like her mom used to hers and singing the same song. This is a very heart warming part that a white woman would sing to a black woman and this shows that not all white people are racist against the blacks. Songs are a way that get people through their struggles much like people do now a day with modern music. 

Close Reading 2

"I want you to touch me on the inside part and call me my name."

Paul D never worried about his little tobacco tin anymore. It was rusted shut. So, while she hoisted her skirts and turned her head over her shoulder the way the turtles had, he just looked at the lard can, silvery in moonlight, and spoke quietly.

"When good people take you in and treat you good, you ought to try to be good back. You don't... Sethe loves you. Much as her own daughter. You know that."

Beloved dropped her skirts as he spoke and looked at him with empty eyes. She took a step he could not hear and stood close behind him.

"She don't love me like I love her. I don't love nobody but her."

"Then what you come in here for?"

"I want you to touch me on the inside part."68 "Go on back in that house and get to bed."

"You have to touch me. On the inside part. And you have to call me my name."

As long as his eyes were locked on the silver of the lard can he was safe. If he trembled like Lot's wife and felt some womanish need to see the nature of the sin behind him; feel a sympathy, perhaps, for the cursing cursed, or want to hold it in his arms out of respect for the connection between them, he too would be lost.

"Call me my name."

"No."

"Please call it. I'll go if you call it."

"Beloved." He said it, but she did not go. She moved closer with a footfall he didn't hear and he didn't hear the whisper that the flakes of rust made either as they fell away from the seams of his tobacco tin. So when the lid gave he didn't know it. What he knew was that when he reached the inside part he was saying, "Red heart. Red heart," over and over again. Softly and then so loud it woke Denver, then Paul D himself. "Red heart. Red heart. Red heart."

page 137-138

This passage represents the stereotype of women in the time period. Women were seen only as objects, often used (or abused) for sex. Given this time period, where women could barely vote, it’s impressive to see how far we've gotten as a society. Moreover, it appears that Beloved controls Paul D through sexual encounters. It’s debatable that women were seen as slaves, not only to their owners, but also to men; women such as Sethe were under the control of their husbands. This idea of control also relates to the general idea of superiority, where women (and in some countries, still are) were seen as inferiors, and weaker than men.

In several parts of the passage above, we see the theories of feminism in action. When Morrison describes Beloved “turn[ing]her head over her shoulder the way the turtles had”, she applies the theory that women were seen as animals. Secondly, when Beloved tells Paul D that “When good people take you in and treat you good, you ought to try to be good back”, this represents Beloved’s long bottled anger, that she finally releases. I believe she speaks for all women at the time; not only should men and women be treated and living as equal, but when Paul D disliked Beloved for living in their house, Beloved saw this as an emotional threat. She felt uncomfortable, since her father figure essentially disowned and looked down upon her.

In general, Beloved leaks several themes of feminism, and gender inequality. Toni Morrison shows us that society is broken, and to unite it: we need to be equal.

In modern society, we have feminists who make sure that such inferiority dissolves and disappears. Feminism allows society to break away from the past, and see a gender-equal future. This raises several questions in modern society. We’re in 2015. Why aren't men and women equal? Feminism doesn’t push men down, it puts women side by men.

The Chokecherry Denial

 "I've never seen it and never will. But that's what she said it looked like. A chokecherry tree. Trunk, branches, and even leaves. Tiny little chokecherry leaves. But that was eighteen years ago."

"Nor, fifteen minutes later, after telling him about her stolen milk, her mother wept as well. Behind her, bending down, his body an arc of kindness, he held her breasts in the palms of his hands. He rubbed his
cheek on her back and learned that way her sorrow, the roots of it; its wide trunk and intricate branches."

Of all of the characters in Beloved, it is without question that Sethe is the most internally affected and damaged. Her time at sweet home is nearly unimaginable, and has left her with irreparable physical and psychological scars. She tries to keep all of her emotions pent up, as secrets; she pretends to herself and her daughter sometimes that her pain was not as bad as it truly was. An example of this, as shown above, is how fervently Sethe insists that the terrible whipping scars on her back are not scars, but a chokecherry tree. This is denial at its finest. She avoids what really happened, what the scars really mean, until Paul D asks pointed questions about it, about the "cowhide" used to make the scars. And finally, when all her suffering is brought into the open as a result of Paul D's prodding, she weeps. She lets out all of the emotion she has been holding back, pretending not to have deep down, and lets herself cry. This is in part because, as noted by Morrison, Paul D has a special yet inexplicable ability to make the women of any house cry, to make them confess their woes and sufferings, and in Sethe's case, they come out dramatically, as they have not come out for the past eighteen years.

Sethe lets out another pent up secret from her past to Paul D later on, when she admits to having killed her child at Sweet Home. This is her greatest secret, her biggest regret, and her worst memory. Yet, after years of concealing it, she releases it to Paul D. This makes us wonder, what other sufferings or secrets could she be hiding, and how could they be affecting her behavior the way these have? We may never know, but it is interesting to think about.

Close Reading Experts 2

In Pamela Barnett’s essay, she defines Beloved as a novel that mainly talks about slavery and the idea that women did not really have a way to escape that. Pamela dives into how motherhood has affected Sethe since she was a slave. Sethe was long affected by the horrors of slavery and she did not want her children to go through the same tortures she did as a slave. To further her analysis, Pamela uses her personal thoughts to provide insight and information on how slavery and moreover, how rape truly did impact Sethe and that we can see this throughout feminism.

Pamela Barnett brings up the idea that Sethe’s daughter has return back to haunt her for the harm she has caused (chapter 11). From this point, rape is being viewed as as a gender assault on individuals focusing primarily on the harm that rape does to individual victims. The way I view this is that a woman is raped due to the fact that she is forced to have sex with someone where she does not want to. This shows feminism in a way where women could prevent this from happening, but in most cases, it would be very difficult. Therefore, these memories are what women have a hard time dealing with because they have been mentally affected as well. Pamela’s essay use a lot of summarization and includes a lot of short quotes and passages where Sethe have been truly affected and impacted.

So Pamela’s essay truly did allow me to relate to most of her claims about slavery and feminism. Her integration of her opinions and ideas made it easier for me to tie in the possible thoughts and feelings of Sethe as a slave mother through a feminist lens.

Beloved and the Psychoanalytic Lens - Midway through the novel

When I was about halfway through the novel, I had already learned a great deal about the characters by reading through the psychoanalyic lens. There are many themes and subtle characteristics embedded within the text, allowing readers to understand the writing at a much deeper level if read closely.

One of the major things I began to realize throughout my reading was the real reason that Sethe tried to kill her children, and successfully killed one of her daughters. It was clear that Sethe didn't want the children to live in suffering and sadness, but it was initially unclear why she decided the best way to go about preventing that would be murdering them. What I realized is that Sethe wanted to kill her children because inside, she wished she had been killed of never been conceived. Her life at sweet home has been agonizing, almost not even qualifiable as a "life," and she decided that anything she could do to keep her children from that pain was necessary.

This decision weighs on her heavily, years later when she lives in 124. As phrased by one of my classmates, the murder affects her tangibly with the presence of the baby ghost, and inside with her timid and protective nature. It is clear that of everything that has happened in her life, this had the most significant and lasting effects on her life and state of mind. For this reason, Morrison centers much of the drama around this, and names the novel after the ghost of her deceased daughter.

There is much more to analyze in the novel on the psychoanalytic side, but these are just the first and most important things that I began to notice as I read. I also noticed that I could find psychoanalytic elements easier as the story went on, because I was more experienced with the lens. This may mean that I missed some elements in the beginning of the novel, and I may take a look back to see if I did.

Close Reading Experts 1

I read an essay by Terry Paul Caesar who read Beloved through a feminist lens. Terry went deep into the relationship between the general connection throughout mothers and daughters and how that relates immensely in this book between Sethe and Beloved. He touched basis with the idea of women as slaves. He has very well understood what a mother truly is and what a daughter is and what they can do for one another. Terry talks about how Sethe killed her baby to save both herself and more importantly, her child. Sethe saved herself from the responsibility with commitment and the attachment of her baby because it felt like hard work and dedication as it was stated with the idea that Sethe saved her baby from having to go into slavery. She did not want her baby to go through her very same footsteps even though it is very typical for a child to do so. She wanted the best for the baby and wanted the baby to be protected as much as possible. Throughout this time period of slavery, black women eventually had their children taken away from them and they usually didn't get to allow their child's future to be made. Sethe wanted to control and be though what happened to her children, therefore, she went to the extra step and ended the life of one of her kids.

Terry’s interpretation of feminism through Beloved has allowed me to get a better understanding of what aspects women carry and how women are capable to do things that men are not. I never would have imagined Sethe’s willing to kill her baby as a way for her to save herself. That is an insane thing to do because you are losing something as valuable and very important in your life where not that many people would do. It seems that the duty of a mother felt like slavery to her all over again because it took a lot of dedication and strength. She had to raise the child all by herself while keeping in mind that she is not getting any support from anybody else. She has already struggled enough trying to support herself and now she has someone else to support as well. Reading this essay has also allowed me to deeper understand the relationship between Sethe and Beloved. Beloved has come back because she wants to kill Sethe for what she has done to her and her miserable life. Beloved wants to get revenge over Sethe for everything she has put her through and hopes to show her guilt and regret.

Responding & Reflecting 2

Reading Beloved through a feminist lens has allowed me to see each character differently than I would have if I read it through another lens. I have found it very fascinating and quite interesting to see the power structure between men and women during the time period that Beloved takes place in and how that changes over time. From the beginning of this book, I have personally seen Sethe grown quite substantially. Sethe used to be a slave that suffered tremendously due to the fact that she basically had not respect from men. She had to go through a very long journey of obstacles and accomplishments to find her new home and fight for living a better life where Sethe was pregnant with her last child, Denver.

Sethe was pregnant with Denver and this is when a white woman came to save her and helped her give birth. I could already imagine that due to the fact that men didn't really care about women, except for sex, they probably would not have done the same to Sethe. Throughout this time period, it is evident and safe to say that women generally looked out for each other because they cared for one another. A certain individual wouldn't really do much to create a change or an impact on their community, but when they all get together, many different things can occur.

This right here allowed me to see the strength that Sethe has in particular. She faced a situation in life where she didn't really know where else to go or who to look up to. She could have possibly lose a child that really meant a lot to her and so she did not give up. Even though one of her children died, and two ran away from her leaving her with one child left, she has not let that affect her and bring her down, instead, it brings her more strength to survive and live her own life.

Circles upon Circles (upon more circles)

For this Critical Experts blog, I decided to read and discuss Philip Page's article "Circularity in Toni Morrison's Beloved," one of the psychoanalytic criticisms of the novel. Page presents an interesting perspective on the novel, one that I had not thought of during my reading. He argues that Beloved, as well as Toni Morrison's other two novels, is heavily themed around circles.

One circle, he says, is the neighborhood surrounding 124. All of the people in the neighborhood come together to form a circle, that Sethe and co. are largely isolated from. Aside from occasional moments, the family is not incorporated into the neighborhood circle, but into their own. He notes that it seems that when Sethe's family isn't part of the larger circle, their past torments them, making it important to integrate back into the larger circle. This is shown when the community comes together to rid 124 of Beloved.

Another example, perhaps the most important, is the circular pattern in which Sethe walks as she reveals the details of her daughter's death to Paul D. She erratically and nervously circles the kitchen as she admits that she killed her own daughter. This scene, the ending to part one of the novel, is quite a pivotal part of the story, so the use of circles here shows how important that theme is to Morrison.

I am inclined to agree with Page's argument that circles are central to the actions and lives of the characters in the novel. There is sufficient evidence of circular themes, not only in the above examples, but also in the circular boxwood tree that Denver visits, among other things. It is clear that Morrison uses this theme to illustrate the thoughts and feelings of her characters as well as the paths of their lives.

Expert Lens 2: An Inextinguishable Fire

The article Motherhood in Toni Morrison's Beloved, floats several themes of psychoanalysis.

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Firstly, the article defines that "the return of Beloved means that [Sethe] can erase some of the pain she inflicted upon herself by killing her child.". To me, this doesn't necessarily make sense. If Beloved returned, as a "second chance" for Sethe, then why would Denver register Beloved (a character that filled the sisterly role for Denver), as an evil spirit? More importantly, whose interpretation is most likely correct? Is Beloved an "evil", vengeful spirit, or is Beloved a second chance for Sethe?

Secondly, the article recalls when (at Sweet Home) Sethe was taken to the barn, stolen of her milk- Sethe told Mrs. Garner. The boys found out, and beat Sethe to the point that she couldn't run. However, she managed to escape. The article defines that this great escape represents Sethe's mental tenacity and determination, detailing the "stillness of her soul and her strength". I agree with this psychoanalysis. Sethe is usually seen as the tough, gritty mother, shielding Denver from the world. However, these shields were created from Sethe's past experiences, how Sethe doesn't want Denver to be exposed to the dirt of the world.

Lastly, the article defines how Sethe, unlike other slave women, "valued her body". Sethe saw a future (one away from Sweet Home) and strived to find that future. However, Sethe discovered that the Schoolteacher "perceived all slaves as mere animals". This watered the plant of anger in Sethe's mind, but she managed to bottle it. I agree with the effect of this discovery. If someone lives a horrid, controlled life, treated as animals, it creates an inextinguishable fire of anger, as visible in the image above.  This fire soon grew out of control; she developed a murderous obsession which, as the article detailed, disrupted Sethe's ability to adapt to strategy. By burning this ability of hers, some argue (and I agree) that she was unable to find her personality in life, and unable to reach a healthy mental equilibrium.

Experts Lens 1: Existentially Incorrect

Firstly, The Bonds of Love and the Boundaries of Self defines that Paul D filled the psychological void of a father. Before Paul D arrived at 124, Sethe had to sacrifice what she had, to make sure Denver was happy. I

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 agree with this argument; Sethe has regained her role, not only as wife, but also a full-time mother. However, one (wo)man's treasure is another (wo)man's trash (image).  Denver is dissatisfied with Paul D, to the extent of asking "how long [he] will stay here". It almost appears as if Sethe was stolen by Paul D, and Denver lost her mother mentally. The article also defines how Denver "doesn't see Paul D as the other women do"; in other words, Denver doesn't see Paul D as a nurturing father. Instead, she sees him as a threat to her mother. I would agree with this claim; it's fair to say that Paul D corrupted Sethe, based on the "monstrous" dreams Denver has about Sethe.
Secondly, the article claims that Denver fills this void of a "real" father, through Halle; Denver sees Halle as the "Angel Man", notwithstanding that Halle is unable to "play the savior role". I agree with this fact; because Denver doesn't see Paul D as a fatherly, nurturing figure, she sees Halle as her role model. Yet, Halle is seen as mentally unstable, due to his inability to stop Sethe's rape; is an unstable father such as Halle, a good role model for Denver?
Lastly, the article raises an interesting point, that one can't "experience freedom without claiming ownership of themselves". To me, this translates to the idea that, we are locked to our own mentality. We can't truly be free, until we find out who we really are. Are we living in a simulation of slow destruction, or an imperfect utopia? According to Beloved, we are "rooted in relationship and dependent on" our inner feelings. We can only be free, if we unlock the chains of reality.

The Bounds and Breaks of Beloved's Psychology

In Barbara Schapiro’s article, “The Bonds of Love and the Boundaries of Self In Toni Morrison’s Beloved”, she explores concepts of self recognition and psychic freedom. Specifically geared towards the experiences of freed black slaves, like Sethe, Schapiro explains how even though becoming physically free is extremely challenging for a slave at the time, the most difficult challenge of slaves, and all black people suffering from persecution, is becoming emotionally free. This is the central conflict of Toni Morrison’s Beloved. Though Beloved’s gruesome details of the physical strife slaves had to endure are plentiful, the psychic challenges, and how characters do or do not overcome them, convey the most about the atrocious experience of slavery. As Schapiro explains, “even if one is eventually freed from external bondage, the self will still be trapped in an inner world that prevents a genuine experience of freedom” (194). She goes on to explain how the worst atrocity of slavery is not the physical persecution -death even- but the psychic death that haunts slaves for the entirety of their life, free or not.  This horrific internal struggle is what leads Sethe to her very worst: murdering her own daughter.

With this establishment of the internal struggle of a slaves loss of psychic self, Schapiro explores the ways in which the characters of Beloved overcome, or lessen the emotional pain. Simply put, she believes the solution lies in the self recognition that comes with relationships. As she explains, “The experience of one's cohesiveness and reality as a self is dependent on this primary relationship, on the loving response and recognition from another” (195). The most damaging repercussions of a loss of one’s psychic self is the feeling of not being whole- not being human. Without one’s sense of self, essentially without their spirit, how can they ever feel like themselves? Schapiro suggests the answer lies in the power of emotional bonds between two individuals, which most commonly is a mother and daughter in Beloved.

I find this concept beautiful and empowering. Though it takes away from the masculine persona of Sethe being self-reliant and independent, it illuminates the power of relationships- and community in general. Motherhood is a relevant and repetitive theme throughout Beloved. Sethe continuously looks to her children for emotional security for the exact reason Schapiro explains: to exist, both physically and emotionally. The strength of the bond Sethe grows to have for her daughter Denver, and for her supposedly reincarnated daughter Beloved, gives Sethe purpose to live. Prior to this recognition and feeling of purpose, Sethe’s emotional pain and psychic suffering leads her to, as Schapiro explains, kill “her daughter to save her from a similar fate; she kills her to save her from psychic death” (197). This actions illustrates the horror of the experience of not feeling spiritually present or emotionally free. But alternatively, Sethe’s use of motherhood as a method to feel recognized and whole illuminates the unique power relationships and communities gave to the struggling black community. With that, I completely agree with Schapiro that the Beloved’s central purpose is to explore the subject psychic damage and emotional reconstruction.