beloved section 2

- A man aint an ax pg 81- shows the difference between slaves and freedmen, slaves are expected to be used as tools, and to generate a profit.
- “but her brain was not interested in the future” Sethe’s brain is so full of the evil deeds that have happened in her pas that her brain can not look forward to the future, Halle was broken by the sight of her rape, but she was broken down over time. Until she has nothing to look forward to but to take care of her child.
- “pauls story about mister”- paul describes the rooster and how it grew up to whoop anything in the yard, yet was allowed to maintain its own existence, yet he was forced to wear the iron bit in his mouth. Shows how slaves were mistreated even to the extent of being treated worse than animals.
-“why you call yourself beloved?” “in the dark my names beloved”
her name beloved symbolizes all the evil of the world, she was named beloved by seethe but the name was bought at a price. Sethe had to sell her soul in order to chisel the name beloved on the headstone
-“It’s a tree lu, a chokecherry tree”
trees symbolize life usually, perhaps a form of new life. The cherry tree might symbolize sethes new life outside of slavery since this helped to drive her to freedom. The tree also is a form of protection, which sehte definetly provides in her role as mother.
-“river water was spreading over seethes hips”- shows the connection between water and birth, similar to beloved’s rebirth. Water also symbolizes freedom or transformation- the slaves had to cross water from Africa and Sethe had to cross water to be free.
-“those white things had taken all I had or dreamed”
baby suggs describing how she quit life because of the white people, seethe could fall into the same spell.
-“Lay em down, seth...Dont study war no more"
seethe has been battling her past for so long she must move on and embrace the present.
-"He saw them boys do that to me and let them keep on breathing air?"
seethe is disappointed because she believed that Halle would protect her from such evils, but halle could do nothing to stop the white-men.
-"the quality of the green changed"
the view of green had changed, it had become less valuable, her willingness to live life was not as strong.
-"on all fours"
Sethe is still an animal, shows that she is not yet a freed man, but only a freed slave. She is still a slave to her children
-“The circle of iron choked it”
Beloved claims tahat it was not her who choked seethe it was the circle of iron, the symbol of slavery.
-“the raunchy turtle sex scene”
this has to mean something, the loss of beloved’s innocence? Perhaps the realization on denvers part that beloved was up to no good.
-“his hands quit taking his instructions”
Paul D’s body was unable to function after he was imprisoned. Shows he is finally broken for they not only have taken his body, they take his minds ability.
-“in the boxes the men heard the water rising”
water again symbolizing rebirth or tranforamtion, in this case it represents the transformation from animal back to freed slave, as the imprisoned men were treated like animals.
-“the disease they faced now was an inconvenience compared to the devastation they faced before”
the cherokees were an oppressed people, just like the blacks, shows how each dealt with a form of slavery.
-“follow the tree flowers”
the tree flowers are a symbol of life and happyness, Paul D must follow happiness in life ,b tu the tree flowers are always shifting
-“he did not stop to touch them”
but paul D was never able to stop and enjoy the flowers
“paul D’s chest rose and fell under the hand”
shows how much control Sethe has over paul, she seems to make him dance like a puppet.