Beloved: Memory, Rememory, & The Power of the Past

Thus far in the novel, memories, specifically of the past, have played quite a large role. It is quite evident that the character's of both Sethe and Paul D have been shaped by the events that took place in their past, especially the ones at Sweet Home. Early on in the novel when Paul D was still getting aquainted in 124, him and Sethe had a conversation together. Paul D admits to Sethe that he wants to have a life with her, but Sethe is reluctant to change the way her life is. She states, "I don't go inside" (55). This illustrates how Sethe is reluctant to look into her past history, especially the times she spent at Sweet Home. I greatly assume that most slaves, once they were finally freed, had a hard time letting go of their past. The power of the past can have quite an effect on an individual, either for the better or for the worst. In the case of Sethe, Pauld D, and the majority of slaves, the power of the past negatively impacted their lives. It is quite evident that both Sethe and Paul D are two individuals that prefer to live in the present, rather than dwell on the past. At the end of Chapter 7 when Paul D is sharing painful memories of Halle with Sethe, an interesting piece of imagry is used. Morrison wrote, "Saying more might push them both to a place they couldn't get back from. He would keep the rest where it belonged: in that tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be. Its lid rusted shut. He would not pry it loose now in front of this sweet stury woman, for if she got a whiff of the contents it would shame him" (86). This illustrates how the painful memories of Paul D's past were buried deep inside of a tobacco tin that was difficult to pry open. The pain of the past can be extremely difficult to relive. The power of the past is clearly illustrated when Sethe returns to the Clearing. While there, we are introduced to the early days of 124 when Sethe first arrived. Morrison wrote, "Her faith, her love, her imagination and her great big old heart began to collapse twenty-eight days after her daughter-in-law arrived" (105). Sethe believes that she is to blame for Baby Sugg's death, and she ultimately believes that 124 was only what it was when Baby Sugg's was around. Sethe returns to the Clearing because she wants to feel the spirit of Baby Suggs. Sethe was in a lot of pain, and she felt that the only way to relieve this pain was to return to this place where such high spirits were felt. It is evident that both Sethe and Paul D, as we have known them so far, are two individuals that view the past as being painful, and that do whatever possible to avoid it.