A tree on her back, Beloved

A detailed Summary of 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

In the stage when the ghost is still in its intangible form and Paul D presents himself at the house, Sethe almost lets the "responsibility for her breasts, at last be in somebody else's hands" (p18). As soon as she has this thought, the ghost attacks and gets angry due to the presence of Paul D. Sethe's conscience, manifested in the ghost, wouldn't allow her to be freed by Paul in this way. Through Sethe's attempts to lessen her guilt and difficult past, she ironically worsens it, and works her way into a psychological slavery much more terrifying than the physical slavery she experienced at Sweet Home.

Sethe lies on the bed, finished with life and everything because Beloved "her best thing...left her" (p272). Paul, free himself, thanks to the unlocking of his tobacco tin, makes Sethe realize that she is her best thing. Sethe is herself beloved. Beloved is gone, but instead of dying, Sethe can now begin to live her free life to the fullest extent. She conquers her conscience and her past with the help of her future, her real daughter, Denver, and her lover, Paul D.

Beloved's true importance lies in her ability to affect Sethe. The crawling already? baby is related to painful memories, and Beloved personifies the present pain due to those memories. The constant reminder of Sethe's past, represented by the tree, is an indirect result of the baby's existence. Sethe lost her sense of identity with the human race when she murdered the baby. The trunk of the tree functions as Sethe's tortured soul. Sethe's guilt about her lack of human reason in her attack of the innocent child haunts her later. At Sweet Home, she caught the school-teacher comparing her to an animal; "put her human characteristics on the left; her animal ones on the right," he directed his students (p193). After attacking her children, she realizes that she has sunk to the sub-human level dictated by the teacher. This understanding prompts a self-destructive guilt; she will do anything to make things better.

Another branch of the tree is the ability of Beloved's character to function as a warning to the future generation, Denver. After the murder, but before the baby ghost arrived, Denver was approached on the subject of her mother's guilt by a boy at school. Not able to deal with this discussion, Denver promptly lost her hearing. Expectedly, as soon as the baby ghost made its debut, Denver regained her los

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1617
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

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