The character of Beloved in the novel Beloved, by Toni Morrison, is symbolic of several important ideas that are essential to a complete understanding of the novel. In the context of the story itself, Beloved is a specter that has returned to haunt the woman that killed her when she was child. On a deeper, subconscious level to the characters within the story, the character of Beloved can be considered to be reminder of the past. Specifically, the character of Beloved helps two characters, Sethe and Paul D., to deal with their pasts. Finally, in a historical context, Beloved can be interpreted to be a symbol of the problems that developed between mothers and their daughters as a result of the atrocities experienced through slavery. This paper will examine all of these aspects in detail and also demonstrate how they are necessary for a greater understanding of the story contained within the novel and how they complement the historical context of the story.

In the storyline of Beloved, the character of Beloved is a ghost that has returned to haunt the woman that killed her. It is important to understand the circumstances around her death in order to underst

"Dark," said Beloved. "I'm small in that place. I'm like this here." She raised her head off the bed, lay down on her side and curled up.

When the reader first comes into the story it is past the event of her Beloved's death. In fact, Sethe does not even remember her daughter's name, but she does remember what the priest said at the funeral. The priest said "Dearly Beloved" hence, the name Sethe now associates with her dead daughter. In addition, the specter of Beloved has taken to haunting the house at 124 and people now experience a sense of depression as they enter 124. Later in the story, the ghost of Beloved inexplicably returns to Sethe as a young woman by appearing outside the house one day. She even uses the name that Sethe has ascribed to the ghost "Beloved." After a while Sethe does eventually makes the connection between the name of her visitor and the name of her dead daughter. At the end of the book, the ghost of Beloved is exorcised from 124 by same women that were present at the party on the day of her living death. Thus, in the context of the story Beloved really is a specter that has come back from death and that Sethe, and the community in general, must deal with in order to bring closure to the story.

Denver covered her lips with her fingers. "Were you cold?"

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Approximate Word count = 2466
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)