I Love Beloved!

      Hello. I think Beloved by Toni Morrison is amazing on so many levels. It's so complex and I can tell, it's bursting with symbolism. I mean bursting. I read it the first time and didn't quite understand everything very well. But, I reviewed it very thoroughly and clarified whatever wasn't clear to me. I love the structure of the book: non -chronologically. It's written as someone remembers memories. When something is mentioned, something related from the past is brought up. It's confusing because everything is out of order but it's so much more interesting this way.
      I admire Morison's writing style. So complex, interesting, makes you want to read more. The book starts off with the present and as you read on, you realize why things are the way they are; you learn more about the pasts of characters, which explains their present situation. You learn  about Sethe's and Paul D's lives in strange order. The story starts off at 124 Bluestone Road, Cincinnati. You have no clue why, but you know. But then as you continue, it reveals its reason. Sethe, Paul D, Paul A, Sixo, Halle, and the Thirty Mile Woman all planned to escape from Sweet Home. Sethe runs away, pregnant, and a white woman, Amy Denver, finds her in bad condition. She helps her and spots a boat, where she gives birth.
      Symbolism. I know it's there. There are some strange moments that I don't get but noticed that I noticed them. For example, when Beloved looks out into darkness, says she sees her face and smiles. Or when she says she came from the darkness and lived on a bridge. Strange. Beloved is such a complex character. I was confused about her identity for awhile. I didn't realize that it was a manifestation of the 2 year old baby ghost Sethe killed; I thought she was a random woman that appeared on the doorstep of 124 or that she was a physical representation of Sethe's guilt or past. But she just turned out to be her baby's ghost. No big deal, right?! The characters don't notice all the weird things about her: her baby-like features, her raspy voice, or the fact that she knew about Sethe's diamond earrings. Only Paul D finds her suspicious. I like magical realism. It connects to moment in history (in this case, during the Reconstruction period after the Civil War, when slaves were being emancipated but still treated poorly) but has some magical characteristics (a ghost, Beloved, coming to life). Reality and magical happenings co- exist. I can't wait to explore the symbolism in class because what's the point of reading a spectacular book if you don't fully get the idea, the big picture? I can see how Beloved represents the baby ghost; she acts like a baby, talks like one, doesn't know how to tie her shoes and she "walked out of water"(60). I think this is a symbol for the womb, she is reborn and walks out wet, how a newborn is. Morrison is a genius. Well, I shall return.