"I am Beloved and she is mine" (210). Beloved's biggest fear in the novel is that of losing Sethe. Although Sethe attempted to murder Beloved, Beloved still loves her more than anything else in her life. The fear of losing the most important thing in your life is a terrible concept to attempt to grasp. Not only is Beloved afraid of losing Sethe, she is also afraid of not being able to help her. "In the beginning I could see her I could not help her because the clouds were in the way" (211). Beloved loves Sethe and wants nothing more than to help her and make sure that she does not lose her.
Neglect is another fear of Beloved. At times, Beloved feels as though Denver may steal Sethe away and she will be neglected by her mother. Being neglected is extremely degrading, especially when you are being neglected by your own mother.
The concept of everyone forgetting is the last reason for which Beloved is fearful. Beloved as a character is symbolic of Toni Morrison's made up concept of rememory, which is remembering a memory because it is an internal experience. For Sethe, Beloved represents the rememory of her slavery experiences, the bit, and baby. I think that Beloved is able to realize that remembering your memories is an extremely important concept in moving on. Without the past, we would make the same mistakes in the future, which means Sethe could also try to kill her children again.
Imagine losing the most important aspect or person of your life, how distraught would you be? Would you go through crazy endeavors to avoid that at all costs?
Do you think Beloved also fears being neglected by Denver or just by Sethe?
Despite the quote and everything Beloved said, my feelings for Beloved's hostility linger. It was evident Beloved held some sort of grudge when she tried choking Sethe in the clearing. Then, after Sethe realized Beloved was HER Beloved, the reincarnation sat around to drain the life out of Sethe, to me, out of revenge. Beloved may just be super possessive or something; she seems immature in that her feelings are half developed. Still, I think Beloved's love for Sethe is more out of a desperation for attention and being loved.
ReplyDeleteTo answer the questions, I would probably go through crazy endeavors to avoid losing the most important person in my life so long as I knew their importance to me. Knowing their value, what wouldn't you do to save them?
I don't really think Beloved cares much for Denver. Though they played together, I don't recall seeing any expressed love from Beloved to Denver. If anything, she was pretty mean to Denver, shrugging her off yet enjoying the attention. Otherwise yes, I think Beloved only fears being neglected by Sethe.
I agree with Ronnie that Beloved seems intent on getting revenge on Sethe. There have been too many instances where Sethe has been hurt since Beloved arrived to think otherwise. Beloved knows that Sethe killed her and just being back with her is not enough; she needs to take over.
ReplyDeleteIf I were on the verge of losing someone I loved there is no telling what I would do. I would probably go to the most drastic measures to save that person. This idea reminds me of Paul D telling Sethe not to love her children too much. There is no telling what Sethe might do if her children were taken away again. Anyone who loves someone would most likely do anything to protect them. I mean, I can’t think of any circumstances where I would not try to save the person I love. It just does not make sense.
I think Beloved only fears being neglected by Sethe. She has come back for one reason and that is to reunite with Sethe. When Beloved was killed, she was too young to create a relationship with anyone including Denver who was also an infant. She has no grudge against Denver because Denver was too young to try and stop Sethe from killing Beloved. In my opinion, the reason for Beloved coming back is all about Sethe. She has some unfinished buisness to settle and Sethe is the main part. Sure Beloved might like Denver but the only one she is worried about being neglected by is Sethe.