The Novel Beloved: Review, Analysis, Summary

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BELOVED
Introduction
Toni Morrison wrote the novel Beloved was written in 1987. It was set following Civil War of 1861 to 1865. The novel was inspired by Margret Garner’s life after she escaped from Kentucky’s slavery in 1856 after she moved to the free state of Ohio. However, she was later recaptured and opted to kill her child instead of her being taken back to slavery.
Beloved took home the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction following 1988 and became finalist in 1987’s National Book Award (Havesi Paragraph 1). It has been ranked as America’s best work of fiction starting 1981 to 2006 by New York Times.
Plot
The novel starts in 1873 in Ohio’s town of Cincinnati where Sethe the protagonist who was a slave lived with her teenage daughter Denver. Baby Suggs who is her mother-in-law lived with them till she faced her date 8 years earlier. Her sons, Buglar and Howard ran away at ages of 13 years. Sethe had a belief that her sons fled owing to an abusive ghost that haunted their home at the 124 Bluestone Road even after many years (Schapiro 194).
The novel looks at the lives of Sethe and Denver following their escape from enslavement and it opens in 1873 after the end of Civil War. Their house is haunted by a ghost they believe to be that of the eldest daughter. Owing to the haunting which is demonstrated by objects being thrown around, Denver becomes Shy, friendless as well as housebound. On the other hand, the sons ran away from home. Following these events is the death of Sethe’s mother-in-law dies in her bed, 8 years prior to the beginning of the novel.
Paul D who was once enslaved at Sweet Home plantation like Sethe and her family arrives at their home. He attempts not to believe in superstitions and assists the family to get past the painful past and coerces the spirit out. He appears successfully at the beginning and urges Denver to leave the home in years. On the way back however, they meet a young woman sited in front of the house called Beloved. Paul D suspects and cautions Sethe, however she is enticed by her and ignored Paul D.
Sethe makes Paul D sleep outside and the Beloved confronts him. They have sex and his mind gets full of horrifying memories. The memories overwhelm him with guiltiness, and he attempts to inform Sethe but cannot. He wants Beloved to become pregnant and Sethe is happy about the relationship. However, Paul D later resist Beloved. At work ha tells his workmates his plans to have a family and they react in a fearful way. Stamp Paid portrays the reasons for the community’s reject of Sethe.
Paul D confronts Sethe over the issue and she explains to him. Following her escape from the plantation and joining her family at her mother-in-law, her master finds her. The master tries to take her back into slavery with her children. She takes her children outside to slaughter them instead of them going back to slavery. She only succeeds in slaughtering her eldest daughter who was at that time 2 years old. Sethe claims she was only attempting to put her children where they would be safe. After this explanation, Paul D leaves and time becomes suspended.
With time, Sethe believe Beloved is her 2 years old child ...