In Ch. 2-5, choose one of the following questions to respond to in 1-2 paragraphs + one quote:
-What are the histories that are too heavy a burden for Sethe and Paul D to carry? In what way is the past, present and future intertwined for them?
-Who is the woman who emerges fully dressed from the water and calls herself Beloved? What is her plan?
-What is the significance of storytelling in the book so far? Specifically for the characters of Beloved, Sethe and Denver, in what way is it important?
Answer the question to the best of your ability, and showing what you know about chapters 2-5 (pages 24-67).
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alejandra g.:
The woman who emerges from the water is unknown. Denver sees her when she is coming from the carnivals with Paul D and Sethe. They help the girl who is lonely and sick, they think she has “cholera” or a very similar sort of sickness. For this reason, all of them are taking care of this woman specially Denver. For me, the woman’s plan is to make Sethe keep feeling bad because of what she did to her baby daughter, that she killed her. This woman is not that young as a little baby girl but seems to have many characteristics of babies that keep reminding Sethe about her daughter who is now dead. “Her skin was flawless except for three vertical scratches on her forehead so fine and thin they seemed at first like hair, baby hair…” here we can see that she seems to have a very delicate skin, like those of babies and it even described better in this quote, “She pulled her dress up to the knees and rolled down her stockings. When the hosiery was tucked into the shoes, Sethe saw that her feet were like her hands, soft and new.” Here once more, Beloved seems to have all the characteristics that will make Sethe remember her own daughter Beloved. Also, this woman is always sleeping, seems tired due to her sickness and in a way i think that is another baby characteristic, so once more i think what Beloved wants is to make Sethe feel super bad and in a way become crazy.
Who is the mystery woman?
Well, at first I thought it was a re-encarantion of some of the characters either baby Beloved or Baby Suggs, but was unlikely. Later, I considered the woman being Amy, the white chick that helped Sethe give birth. "Just about the time she started wondering if the carnival would accept another freak."(ch 5 pg61) when the carnivals "freaks" were the white ppl. They also refer to something Amy said to Sethe about her water break. When Sethe asked her who she was this idea was crossed out, given that she didnt recognize her. Her plan could be to become very close to Denver as Denver is becoming very attached and plan something against Sethe or even Paul D. for something in their pasts. Maybe shes the schoolteachers daughter?
The woman who emerges from the water and is said to be a mystery woman is called Beloved. When I read the chapters I kept imagining she was somewhat like a reincarnation of the baby child because there are so many things that link this woman to the child such as when they first met her Sethe felt somewhat like her water breaking when she saw her, also her name is like the baby. She also claims not to have memory, but yet knows the story of the earrings at sethe's wedding very well. Also the author describes it as if her skin was soft and had hair like a baby's, she sleeps all the time, loves having stories being told. Many many of her characteristics resemble those characteristics of babies, she cant walk or speak well... Beloved is making Sethe bring all her lost or forotten memories back. Beloved seems to kind of like need Sethe to be there with her and she creates bonds with the three characters and they in their minds kind of see her as the baby even though she is a woman on the outside. "Acts sick, sounds sick, but she dont look sick. Good skin, bright eyes and strong as a bull." "..She can hardly walk without holding on to something." "Her skin was flawless..."
Sethe and Paul D are characters who carry a great amount of emotional baggage, which obviously end up affecting the way they live their lives at present. Sethe must carry the memory of her dead child, Beloved, while Paul D still remembers his harsh life as a slave and what he did (and still does) to remain as sane as possible.Sethe's past experiences lead her to question whether or not love and affection is in her future: "Would it be all right to go ahead and feel? Go ahead and count on something?" (pg 46).This anxiety towards the future is mainly triggered by the idea that memories and events are never truly over. She explained that a place will hold the memory of that event for ever and there is no way it will ever disappear for her or her family. Paul D's past has also influenced his insecurities about his future next to Sethe, and how that influenced her emotions: "He was responsible for that. Emotions sped to the surface in his company" (pg 48). Even though he felt somewhat responsible for Sethe, he also became disappointed with a side of her, and to express this, he compared his past relatinship with trees and his relatinships now:"Maybe shaped like one, but nothing like any tree he knew because trees were invting; thing you could trust and be near; talk to if you wanted to...". Paul D obviously felt a strain in their relationship and knew not how this would affect their future.
For both of these characters, it's essential to arunaway from their past in order to protect their present adn their future, but nevertheless it results impossible, as this quote expresses: "... the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay."(pg 51). Both Sethe and Paul D's histories have contributed enormously in the way they live tehir lives at present, but they have also influenced the way they desire to carry out the rest of their lives.
Sethe and Paul D are characters who carry a great amount of emotional baggage, which obviously end up affecting the way they live their lives at present. Sethe must carry the memory of her dead child, Beloved, while Paul D still remembers his harsh life as a slave and what he did (and still does) to remain as sane as possible.Sethe's past experiences lead her to question whether or not love and affection is in her future: "Would it be all right to go ahead and feel? Go ahead and count on something?" (pg 46).This anxiety towards the future is mainly triggered by the idea that memories and events are never truly over. She explained that a place will hold the memory of that event for ever and there is no way it will ever disappear for her or her family. Paul D's past has also influenced his insecurities about his future next to Sethe, and how that influenced her emotions: "He was responsible for that. Emotions sped to the surface in his company" (pg 48). Even though he felt somewhat responsible for Sethe, he also became disappointed with a side of her, and to express this, he compared his past relatinship with trees and his relatinships now:"Maybe shaped like one, but nothing like any tree he knew because trees were invting; thing you could trust and be near; talk to if you wanted to...". Paul D obviously felt a strain in their relationship and knew not how this would affect their future.
For both of these characters, it's essential to arunaway from their past in order to protect their present adn their future, but nevertheless it results impossible, as this quote expresses: "... the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay."(pg 51). Both Sethe and Paul D's histories have contributed enormously in the way they live tehir lives at present, but they have also influenced the way they desire to carry out the rest of their lives.
The woman who emerges fully dressed out from the water and calls herself Beloved is most likely the 3rd daughter of Sethe who she happened to murder coming back to life. For the physical possibility of this occuring, one can back up thought that Sethe and Denver equally share: "If it's still there, waiting, that must mean that nothing ever dies". (36)
Proof lies from the very appearance of Beloved. She happens to have "good skin , bright eyes, and [be] strong as a bull," (56) but she can hardly walk, just like a baby. The baby is inhabiting the body of a woman who would be her age if she had never died (about 19) but still have the traits of a 2 year old, the mentality she died with. She craved "sugar [which] could always be counted on to please her," (55) just as small child would. Last but not least, Beloved has a "profound satisfaction... from storytelling" (58). Beloved is slowly soaking up her surroundings like a natural child but in the body of a 20 year old.
What is her plan? At first, one can believe that it is revenge. The earlier chapters in the book hinted at her agression and rage. As of now, one can see that she might just want what has always been held against her, to live and to learn, but we won't know for sure until the continuation of the novel.
This is all very effing creepy.
They see this woman as they come from the carnival. She is very mysterious and unknown. But as cristiana said I think too it is some kind of reencarnation of the baby, specially because how in the book they describe characteristics she has as she can not speak well and the way they describe it as in the hair and skin. Sethe is taking care of this woman for her it reminds her about her child and its helping her reming about some things in her past also.
Paul D feels mysterious about thid lady and says she does nit seem as ill as is suppose to be and starts telling Sethe unusual things he saw like picking up the chair and even said Denver saw it but he denies, he feels weird about this situation with this unknown woman.
I though the woman was an rencarnation of the baby. In chapter one the baby spirit got upset because her mother was having an intimate conversation with Paul and since paul and her mother are constantly talking, maybe the baby feels in the position of coming back to protect her mother. She comes back as other person (or body) so that she wouldnt be recognize and pretends to be sick so that they would let beloved stay at home.
"death was anything but forgetfulness" or just maybe she was being forgotten through the years and she was named more constantly in the past and she desires to me remember in a new kind of way!!
we don't really know who the mystery woman is but i believe it is the reincarnation of beloved. all the qualities she has are of a baby and all the clues that the author gives us...like she sitting by the steps of 124. also that she had a very smooth skin and that is it of a baby."she had new skin, line less and smooth, including the knuckles of her hands". all the water could represent when the baby was born that it is the water of a broken fountain. and to be sick with cholera could mean that this is a mad baby...the baby was killed by her own mother and those are the reasons for that sickness. i believe it is some kind of reincarnation of the dead child
Goodmorning, sorry for the delay.
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In the past, Sethe and Paul D worked side by side on Sweet Home. Their individual memories of the past weave together into one dark secret they dont want to be reminded of. The agonies of working as a slave for other people, being treated as less than a human are experiences that both shared at the same place. The scars they have from their past life at sweet home have become "that tobacco tin buried in their chests where a red heart used to be". The lids of their cans are both rusted shut, fear of letting those memories loose is greater than their desire to be freed of their burdens. In that aspect the pasts of these two sad souls is really one past that they both share. As for the present, each has become a support to the other. Paul D is Sethe's safety net, "Jump, if you want to 'cause I'll catch you, girl"; meanwhile Sethe has been the only person Paul D has been able to felt at ease with "We can make a life, girl. A life"
Having lived past the inhumane treatments of rape, beatings and the solitude of running away alone is burden enough for them to carry. But their future holds promise of better life because if they can count on each other to help hold each other up they can get through it all.
On chapter 5 a mysterious woman that comes from the water is introduced and comes to have a really important role in the novel. The identity of such woman is unidentified and unfamiliar but we come to know her from the characteristics Toni Morrison describes in the book. In my opinion, her purpose is to wound Seths feelings by reminding her of her baby.. Something that she does by having all the traits of such (her Beloved).. “Four days she slept, walking and sitting up only for water. Denver tended her, watched her sound sleep, listened to her labored breathing and..” At the same time, this mysterious woman also affects Seth by the attachment of Denver to her. Such attachment is proved at the end of ch 5 when Denver lies to her mom telling her she never saw Beloved pick up the rocking chair single handed… Denver answered: “No. I didn’t see such thing”
Since the very first observations of the novel we have known the past to be a very prominent quality for the story. Aside from the general flashbacks, storytelling has been a channel into the past. One crucial detail, however; is that the past is something the main characters lock away. As in Paul D’s case “he had shut down a generous portion of his head, operating on the part that helped him walk out, sleep, sing. If he could do those things . . . he asked for no more, for more required him to dwell on Halle’s face and Sixo laughing.” In addition to that, storytelling “amazed Sethe, because every mention of her past life hurt. Everything in it was painful or lost.” For the most part, by looking into the past we understand the present and infer about the future. It is through all of these details of the character’s lives that we learn through storytelling that we manage to get to know the character and connect with them via their suffering. Like Ligia said, the characters need to run away from their past, it is something that inhibits any form of progress but with every retelling of a story, their efforts are pushed back a couple of steps.
Through all of these stories certain aspects of characters’ character are revealed and emphasized. Paul D’s temperance, Denver’s narcissism and Sethe’s iron-soul are some of the bits and pieces we pick up on. Through stories and flashbacks the past is revisited but there is one more medium to go back in time, Beloved. She is a “spirit” of the past who beckons to Sethe for more stories. It is not just her direct request for stories that bring them about, whenever some like Paul D reacts to Beloved, she indirectly causes a story to be told, not necessarily to her. No matter the means, the past is a strong presence and it is manifested through storytelling in a way that clears up some murky spots in the loop that is “Beloved”.
the significance of storytelling in the book so far is to explain the past, present and future of Seth, Denver and Paul D. I believe it to be like this when it is read that these people could have a life. A life.
"But when I got here and sat out there on the porch, waiting for you, well, I knew it wasn't the place i was heading toward; it was you. we can make a life, girl. A life."
This is what Paul D says to Sethe when they decide to stay together for the wellbeing of all of them. what's very funny is the fact that after this happens, sorrow stop for a few moments, where maybe there are still memories full of sorrow and pain, but in the present there is a spark of happiness and they all see the future with hope. Everything looks fine, except Beloved, I don't like her at all, due to the quote I read because I didn't know where we had to stop reading.
"Where your diamonds?... And more perplexing: Tell me your earings. How did she know?"...
To me, that woman is simply a manifestation, like the ghost and the rest of the bullcrap that keeps happening around the house. She isn't really there. The chapter that introduces her to people outside the house, that's when I'll believe she's really there, and not just Sethe's, Paul's and Denver's imagination. (Mass Hysteria). Her plan could be to either carry out all the hatred that they (Paul, Sethe, Denver) think the baby had against them, or to finally come and spend time as a family now that a man who can actually keep it together has arrived. At once when I read that part I was reminded of every horror movie I've seen, and how most of them are about little girls who don't really exist. This could be the exact same case, being their beliefs what made them to believe that there is still "hope" for them as a family.
(sorry for no quotes, next blog post I'll quote)
I think the connection of the story telling is that it is a window to the past. Is is the way that denver can share the smae memories that paul d and shethe have in common. It is also Denver's window to know what she is missing out on. Those memories that they have of Sweet home that she does desperatedly wants and that she hates paul d for having.
It is also a way to remember and not forgetting important stuff and implimng how hard black women had it in those days. For example, when Sethe is telling Paul D how she was raped and got her milk stolen is a perfect example of how black women were worth literary less than men. Another example could be when paul d is dissapointed about the sex with Sethe and thinks tht sethe and a cattle are not that different. That sole comparision makes Sethe seems like an object or and "it" instead of a "her"
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