She represents the toll that slavery has taken on many of the characters over the years. The first reason being that Beloved tells Denver she came from a dark place. She describes the dark place as an area filled with bodies. This could be compared to one the boats designed to bring slaves to America. Beloved states to Denver “I wait; then I got on the bridge. I stay there in the dark, in the daytime, in the dark, in the daytime. It was a long time” (88). Secondly, Beloved both physically and mentally drains Sethe’s energy, the way her memories from being a slave did. Towards the end of the novel, Sethe gives her food portions to Beloved and even skips work for her. She dedicates her life to Beloved. While Beloved is gaining weight Sethe is rapidly losing it. Sethe’s inability to stand up and do something for herself and rather doing everything for Beloved represent how Sethe is unable to face the struggles slavery have caused. Sethe’s memories and scars are consuming her, and Beloved is a human representation of it. Third, Beloved’s desire to engage sexually with Paul D show the temptations Paul D has faced and will continue to face since escaping slavery. Paul D is known to have had several children whom he doesn’t know, all with different women. This showing that Beloved conveys a certain message that since escaping slavery, Paul D is unable to commit to a relationship because of his
She represents the toll that slavery has taken on many of the characters over the years. The first reason being that Beloved tells Denver she came from a dark place. She describes the dark place as an area filled with bodies. This could be compared to one the boats designed to bring slaves to America. Beloved states to Denver “I wait; then I got on the bridge. I stay there in the dark, in the daytime, in the dark, in the daytime. It was a long time” (88). Secondly, Beloved both physically and mentally drains Sethe’s energy, the way her memories from being a slave did. Towards the end of the novel, Sethe gives her food portions to Beloved and even skips work for her. She dedicates her life to Beloved. While Beloved is gaining weight Sethe is rapidly losing it. Sethe’s inability to stand up and do something for herself and rather doing everything for Beloved represent how Sethe is unable to face the struggles slavery have caused. Sethe’s memories and scars are consuming her, and Beloved is a human representation of it. Third, Beloved’s desire to engage sexually with Paul D show the temptations Paul D has faced and will continue to face since escaping slavery. Paul D is known to have had several children whom he doesn’t know, all with different women. This showing that Beloved conveys a certain message that since escaping slavery, Paul D is unable to commit to a relationship because of his