A tree on her back, Beloved
For Morrison, history is a subject that she often reflects upon in the novel Beloved. One obvious connection between history and her novel is the inescapable horror of slavery and the impact it has on the characters, especially Sethe. At first glance, the tree on Sethe's back appears to represent nothing more than scars from a past beating. However, when analyzed more closely, the tree illustrates the need for characters to cope with the past in order to progress into the future. It is explained in the book that Sethe was robbed of the very breast milk, which was meant for her young baby. She was caught and whipped by the school-teacher's boys of the plantation, who left her with "a tree on her back," a physical scar, a metaphorical reminder of "her sorrow" (p15, 17). This sorrow which the tree represents can be seen through the character of Beloved. As soon as Sethe was reunited with Beloved in the North, she was able to let her nurse; "she enclosed her left nipple with two fingers of her right hand and the child opened her mouth. They hit home together" (p94). The importance of nursing as a bond between mothers and daughters is stressed throughout the book, when, for example Sethe's mother "went back in rice and Sethe s
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Sweet Home, Stamp Paid, , Sethe Beloved, Beloved North, Sethe Paul, Beloved Beloved's, Denver Paul, Beloved Sethe's, Paul Sethe's, sethe's guilt, sethe's conscience, sweet home, tobacco tin, paul sleep inside, help denver, life beloved, branch tree, house provoking, beloved's character, beloved sethe's,
Approximate Word count = 1617
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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