Analysis Of The Main Characters And The Plot Of The Novel Beloved Essay Example

blood along with her mother's milk and becomes attached to this ghost, which symbolizes her mother's guilt.

Denver befriends the ghost because her mother's terrible actions have left her without any other friends in the community. In order to survive, Denver must come to terms with what her mother did, and she does so by treating the ghost as her playmate. In their own isolated world, both Denver and her mother adapt to the guilt they must live with. However, everything is thrown into chaos with the arrival of Paul D.

Sethe sees Paul D as someone who can empathize with her past and the reasons behind her actions. He is someone she can confide in and trust. When Paul D shows up at her house during a period when the ghost is still intangible, Sethe briefly considers relinquishing the burden of her traumatic experiences to him. However, this moment of vulnerability is immediately interrupted by the ghost's violent outburst.

Sethe's conscience, symbolized by the ghost, prevents her from being liberated from her history by Paul D. Nonetheless, Paul D forcefully rebukes the ghost, stating, "God damn it! She suffered enough without you. She suffered enough!" (22), and successfully forces the ghost to depart. Sethe appears to find solace in this, as "for Sethe, the future meant keeping her past away" (52). Nevertheless, Denver is despairing because Paul D has eliminated her sole "companion" and has made her mother appear to disregard her wrongdoings.

As an act of reconciliation, Paul D brings Sethe and Denver to the carnival, which helps Denver see that having Paul D around instead of the ghost may actually be positive. However, just when things

start to improve, Sethe's guilt and detached conscience reappear, this time in the form of a human named Beloved. Sethe's conscience seems to derive pleasure from her suffering, always finding new ways to make her pay for her actions.

Sethe and Denver's lives start improving thanks to Paul D. However, Beloved appears and gradually distances Paul D from Sethe. This aligns with Sethe's guilty conscience, as Paul D is the only one capable of helping her overcome her past. In his absence, her guilt can punish her more effectively, so Paul D ends up sleeping in the shed. At night, Beloved makes him uncomfortable by visiting him. When he tries to take control of his own destiny and explain things to Sethe on her way home from work, Beloved surprises them on the road, causing a distraction and attempting to steal Sethe away from happiness once again. However, Sethe tells Beloved that she needs to be more sensible, asserting that she deserves some joy in her life.

Sethe takes matters into her own hands once again and suggests to Paul D that he sleep inside instead of outside in the cold-house (161). Beloved becomes angry and sends malicious thoughts across the table because she is upset that her power is being challenged. She realizes that Sethe is refusing to be subservient to her guilty conscience's desires. By asking Paul D to sleep inside, Sethe is beginning to forgive herself and release her self-imposed punishment. As a result, Beloved starts to disintegrate, fearing that she may wake up one day in pieces (164). This guilty conscience is struggling to remain in human form now that Sethe is actively

fighting against it to improve her life.

Beloved's recognition of Paul D as the origin of Sethe's strength intensifies his discomfort. He soon uses his newfound knowledge of Sethe's crime as a pretext to depart. Throughout the entire altercation between Sethe and Paul D, he senses Beloved's gaze fixed upon him, further unsettling him. His unease stems from his discomfort with Sethe's guilt, prompting him to leave.

Now Sethe, Beloved, and Denver are all alone. Sethe's progress towards self-emancipation is reversed with the departure of Paul D. Sethe dedicates all her attention to Beloved, as she is consumed by her guilty conscience. Sethe does everything for Beloved, neglecting her job and depriving herself of food in the process.

The conventional roles of mother and daughter are reversed, with Beloved assuming the role of authority figure. Denver is marginalized in this dynamic, as if there were only one identity - her mother - trapped in a destructive cycle. Denver becomes aware of the harm inflicted upon her mother by this presence and decides to leave the house in search of assistance. By taking this action, Denver intervenes and stops the ongoing downward spiral.

As previously mentioned, Sethe's neighbors have ostracized her for eighteen years due to her initial detachment of her conscience. It is this isolation that allows her detached conscience to exert significant control over her. This cycle is disrupted when Denver seeks assistance. Through this action, the townspeople recognize that Sethe is not inhuman, but rather in dire trouble. Ella, who was Sethe's friend during a brief period of happiness eighteen years ago, plays a pivotal role in Sethe's "saving." "Ella disapproved of past mistakes dominating the present"

(315), prompting her to organize a group of women to rescue Sethe.

Sethe and Beloved are shocked by the group of thirty women that assembles at the gate of 124. Sethe thought that the community had no concern for her, but this gathering proved otherwise. According to the text, it was as if the Clearing had appeared before her eyes for Sethe. These women were Sethe's saviors, yet during her final moments of agony, her guilty conscience takes over.

Sethe attacks Mr. Bodwin with an ice pick under the belief that he is trying to take her children again. She is afraid of losing Beloved and holding onto the past. Ella intervenes to save Sethe by physically hitting her, freeing her from the grip of her traumatic past. Sethe never reaches Mr. Bodwin and Beloved disappears. I believe Beloved disappears because Sethe regains her ability to connect with humanity and her conscience is restored when the women prevent her from killing Mr.

Bodwin enables Sethe to confront her guilt directly and start the process of self-forgiveness. Although the guilt remains, Sethe contemplates escaping it by opting for an easier path - death. She expresses to Paul D, "She left me, she was my best thing" (335).

Paul D is the one who ultimately helps Sethe forgive herself the most. This is evident when he responds with "You are your best thing, Sethe" (335). Sethe is deeply loved by herself. Although Beloved is no longer there, Sethe is able to move forward and live her life to the fullest. With the support of her daughter Denver and her lover Paul, Sethe overcomes her guilt and her past, allowing her to

embrace a free life.