Courtney Tannehill: Week 2

In the first 3 chapters of the novel, the past is constantly intruding on the present. I feel as if Paul D is representative of the past intruding on the present life of Sethe and Denver. Introduced in the novel are themes of sadness, evilness, and loneliness. Sadness was displayed when both Baby Suggs and Sethe speak of their children that are no longer with them. Sethe two boys left the home due to the evilness that possessed the house and all of Baby Suggs children were thought of as dead. Sethe's dead baby girl is representative of evilness. The little girl's spirit haunts the home in which Sethe and Denver occupies. The evil spirit terrorizes the home, is responsible for Howard and Buglar leaving, and is a constant reminder of Sethe's past. Denver speaks of how lonely she really is while Paul D and her mother Sethe is upstairs. She reminisce about her brothers Howard and Buglar and the mere times they spent with one another. Experience would best represent Sethe's past and present. I say this because what I can gather from the first 3 chapters, Sethe never really had a childhood. She had it hard from as long as she could remember. Nothing in her life signifies innocence. From as long as she can fathom life was a fight, a steady struggle for survival, whether it be through her kids or herself. The tree on her back is also significant of experience. I feel as if the struggle of Sethe's past experiences are symbolized here.