Beloved, unity in community

A detailed Summary of Beloved, unity in community

Toni Morrison's Beloved, is a book about a community made up of individuals running away from their pasts. In meeting a few of those individuals and learning how and what they are running from, it becomes obvious that no one can deal successfully with the burden of past memories alone. Those who attempt to face their troubles alone wind up tiring out and giving up, as is demonstrated by Baby Suggs. Sethe and Paul D however, try to fight back the past only to realize it cannot be done alone. After doing so, they find that with the community or a loved one to "encourage you to put some of your weight in their hands," the present becomes tolerable and a future possible regardless of the past (22).

Baby Suggs, a prominent figure in the community with an intolerable present and past, learned early on what it was like to be left alone to deal with difficulties. When the community that had served as her strength withdrew its support, because they were angry and had taken offense to the "uncalled-for-pride" Baby flaunted when her grandchildren and daughter-in-law were finally together, she no longer felt the support (137). As if the weakness Baby was suffering from their disapproval was not enou

Hence, Ella looked forward to the future with a positive view. In believing that no one's past should have so much power, Ella upon realizing that Sethe and the others at 124 are being invaded by the past, decides to help. In bringing together the women of the community to act as a support for each other, as they once did in the clearing when Baby Suggs was a preacher, they are able to accomplish what Sethe could not on her own. By unifying their strength, they broke 124 free from past's firm hold so that future's sun could shine.

Ella didn't like the idea of past errors taking possession of the present...Daily life took as much as she had. The future was sunset; the past something to leave behind. And if it didn't stay behind, well, you might have to stomp it out. (256)

Ella, another member of the community which is found with a past just as terrible, is found taking a different view to the way it comes back to haunt:

saying more might push them both to a place they couldn't get back from. He would keep the rest where it belonged: in that tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be. (73)

Without the community, Baby Suggs stopped looking towards a future and relinquished her fight to ponder color, an occupation that took no energy on her part and that she could accomplish without anyone's help.

Hence, Baby who at one time found her strength in the community, lost that sense of belonging, her strength then died leading to her giving up the fight.

As is seen in the last chapter, this revelation applies not only to Sethe and Paul D. Through the use of "everybody", "their" and "they" this chapter seems to have been written by the community itself with the final understanding being, that the past is at times better forgotten and not passed on. For, just as Baby Suggs continually told Sethe, "lay em down," so are the last words of the book translated wit

Some common words found in the essay are:
Baby Suggs, Hence Paul, Similarly Sethe, Sweet Home, Sethe Paul, Hence Ella, Morrison's Beloved, Hence Baby, Suggs Sethe, Paul Ella, baby suggs, left deal, home sweet, suggs sethe, sethe paul, home sweet home, sweet home, baby suggs sethe, difficulty dealing past, talking paul, escaping past, past sethe, fight past,

Approximate Word count = 1285
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English