Lecture Notes: Analysis of Toni Morrison's Beloved (Part 1, Chapter 1)

Introduction to Beloved

• Structure:
  • The novel is divided into three parts.
  • Each part is subdivided into chapters that are not numbered or titled, making reference difficult without external numbering.

Setting and Main Characters

• Year and Location:
  • The story begins in 1873.
  • Takes place at 124 Blue Stone Road, Cincinnati, Ohio.
• House Description:
  • Described as spiteful and full of venom.
  • Haunted for 18 years by the ghost of a baby.

Characters

• Sethe:
  • A former slave living at the house.
  • Mother to Denver and the deceased baby.
  • Engraved the baby’s headstone with "Beloved," acquired through a trade with the engraver.
• Denver:
  • Sethe's second daughter.
  • Misses the ghost’s presence.
• Baby Suggs:
  • Sethe’s mother-in-law.
  • Died shortly after Sethe’s sons left.
• Paul D:
  • Last of the men from Sweet Home plantation.
  • Arrives at Sethe’s house after 18 years.

Background & Key Events

• Sweet Home Plantation:
  • Place where Sethe was enslaved.
  • Mention of other Sweet Home men: Paul F, Paul A, Sixo, and Sethe’s husband, Halle.
  • Tragic events occurred under the schoolteacher’s control.
• Sethe’s Past:
  • Nephews of the schoolteacher abused her, taking her milk and whipping her pregnant body, leaving her with tree-shaped scars.

Significant Interactions

• Sethe and Paul D:
  • Paul D kisses Sethe’s scars, prompting a violent reaction from the house.
  • His shout causes the ghost to leave temporarily.
• Denver’s Relationship with the Ghost:
  • Unlike the others, she misses the ghost and feels a longing for its company.

Themes Introduced

• Haunting & Memory:
  • The ghost symbolizes unresolved past traumas and memories.
• Slavery & Its Aftermath:
  • Sethe’s scars and memories reflect the brutality and long-lasting impact of slavery.