I analyzed a quote embedded in chapter twenty-two of Beloved. Chapter twenty-two comes right off Beloved’s monologue, where she rants about owning Sethe. The aim of chapter twenty-two is to give Sethe a chance to express her thoughts on Beloved. The following quote is the introductory paragraph of this chapter:
“I am Beloved and she is mine. I see her take flowers away from leaves she puts them in a round basket the leaves are not for her she fills the basket she opens the grass I would help her but the clouds are in the way how can I say things that are pictures I am not separate from her there is no place where I stop her face is my own and I want to be there in the place where her face is and to be looking at it too a hot thing.”
Sethe opens up chapter twenty two in a fit of rage. The first sentence introduces the tone to set up the rest of the chapter. “I am Beloved and she is mine.” Claiming another human as your property is not something you expect to come out the mouth of a former slave. Sethe also claims to be Beloved herself, meaning Beloved is a part of her. As a mother she nurtured and created Beloved in her womb and now her logical is flawed and still holds on to Beloved as an extension of herself, yet Beloved has created her own image for herself. They are not the same, the new Beloved isn’t like the old. She isn’t bound by blood. Sethe then continues speaking, and the tone of the passage then begins to shift. Sethe’s tone changes to an anxious and tense one. Continuing, she describes Beloved’s innocence as gathering flowers and arranging them around a basket. Sethe shows her love for Beloved, and in this sentence it alludes to a childhood picture she creates. Sethe has fixed mind set when Beloved is brought up, she still pictures Beloved as child. A child she never had and a mother daughter bond that she robbed herself.
Sethe has an urge to help this child version of Beloved. But she can’t, ”the clouds are in the way”. The clouds that block her are a roadblock in her head that Sethe has not yet come to terms with. The memory of Beloved’s death is re-winded in her head and has traumatized her, leaving her with woe. A couple of words later, and Sethe then recognizes her fantasy is just a picture. A still image which bound by what the painter drew. In this case Sethe is the painter and her image of Beloved failed to captivate her love for Beloved. Although it can be interpreted in many ways, the fact remains that the image is just an inanimate object, not real.
Later on in the text Sethe becomes envious of Beloved. “...her face is my own and I want to be there in the place where her face is...” . This statement is very possessive which supports the super “overprotective mom” theme that resonates through the novel. Specifically in this chapter ownership over her child is well over what it should be. Sethe’s approach came off as too serious, when it come to protecting and loving her children. She doesn't consider morals or reality at this point and only desires instant gratification for her need; demonstrating id in Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Her reasons for coming off so strong can be explained by her experiences at sweet home. Being raped and beaten scared her and lead to her super “overprotective mom” attitude and possessive vibe. She doesn’t want any of her children to go through her experience, and in doing so she discarded any logical reasoning behind her thoughts. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but Sethe crosses the line and transcend to a creepy and tragic mental state. Which isn’t new to her. Sethe once came to the same mental sate years back when she killed Beloved.
It ironic to think that both Sethe and Beloved think they own each other. Their thoughts seem trivial and childish, like a rebellious daughter fighting with her strict mother. In the two chapters, Sethe claims the reason for which Beloved returns is for her. That she is here for her. Previously Sethe was a slave, and for her to say that another human came for her, doesn’t add up. You can interpret it as her motherly instinct claim her child, showcasing the ultimate protection, not as a slave. But on the other side, Beloved claiming Sethe as hers is more viable justification in my eyes. My interpretation is that Beloved is claiming Sethe as hers because she owes her something. Beloved right now is playing the role of slave owner and Sethe is her slave, whom she is torturing until, Sethe performs an apologetic act as a mean for her freedom.
No comments:
Post a Comment