In the first three chapters of the novel as well as in the chapters that follow, the past is constantly intruding on the present. What major themes do these intrusions introduce in the novel? Keeping in mind the memories of Sethe’s past related thus far and the reality of her present circumstances, which state, innocence or experience, would best represent Sethe’s past, and which state, innocence or experience, would best represent Sethe’s present. Explain why.
In the first three chapters of the novel, the theme comes off to be bitterness, judgmental and reflective. As Sethe reflects on the past, she has many regrets and hard times that result in her being more experienced than innocent. She reflects and mourns over the lose of her children, husband and mother in law. Her daughter Denver has anger built up inside because of her mother's past making Denver naive and innocent to the slavery experience Sethe went through. When Denver meets Paul D, she is very judgmental and bitter towards him because she feels he maybe interfering with a plan the baby ghost has for them. Sethe seems to be more innocent in her present than past because of the things she went through and experienced. Denver seems to be a little more experienced in the present than Sethe even though she is younger.
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ReplyDeleteKyle McClue: Week 2
ReplyDeleteThe flashbacks of her past throughout the first three chapters show what made her into the person she is in the present. The events of her past show the major themes of the book. An example of one of these major themes is slavery and the racial tension of that time period. The state of innocence can best describe Sethe's past. An example of this was when she was running away while she was pregnant. She had a great lack of knowledge of her surroundings, but luckily she ran into someone who helped her. The state of experience can best describe Sethe in the present. When she is faced with an obstacle, it seems to not faze her. She goes about solving her problems as if she has done it a number of times before. I believe that is why there are some many flashbacks of her past in the story. It shows how she has already been through her present problem in the past.
What major themes do these intrusions (of the past) introduce in the novel?
ReplyDeleteIn the novel Beloved, some of the major intrusions that appear in the novel are repression of memories, grief and the presence of evil. Repression of memories and grief go hand in hand. Sethe is still dealing and coping with the death of her child. Even though it has been years since the incident, she does not want to be reminded of how she constantly feels alone and how she sometimes regrets her decisions. The repressing of her memories is the only way she can pretend to be somewhat satisfied with life. While she is avoiding her feelings, as a mother she is tackling the natural emotion of grief from her deceased child and the feeling is still lingering in her house. The presence of evil is a big theme in three first three chapters, especially when Paul D enters the house and right away he feels that there is something about the house that is different. Right away he asks Sethe, “What kind of evil you got in here?” When she attempts to take her children out of their misery and protect them from the upcoming hardships of slavery, she is basing her decision off experience because she feels that being dead is better than a lifetime of slavery. Sethe's past is mostly represented by Paul D. He continuously brings back the memories of Sweet Home and the rest of the Sweet Home men. Experience also represents Sethe’s present because she bases her decisions off things that she has learned from what she has been through in life such as she was reluctant for Paul D to even lay one finger on her. At this point, Sethe’s cup is overflowing with experience.
Christina Tate: week 2
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the first three chapters are that you cannot exscape the past and the past will always come back to the present with either a negative effect or a positive effect. Sethes past constantly comes back to her and her present for example Paul D. Even Denver who never really had a past but because of her mother's, she is constantly affected; no father or siblings for example. Sethe's past represents her stage of innocence because she had no wisdom and did not know what exactly would happen to her. She just acted on her feelings and emotions thus leading to some decisions with awful consequences. Her presnt day represents her experience due to the decisions of the past. She now knows and cannnot excape from those decisions but she can cope and deal with them in a way that ease the consequences she is dealt with.
Tranelle Davis:week 2
ReplyDeleteThe theme of the first three chapters of “Beloved” is about the loneliness, sadness, and emotional devastation that the slaves endured in the past that are continuing to affect them in the present. As the story goes on Baby Suggs talks about the sadness she endured from losing all eight of her children. Paul D is so emotional devastated from the events take took place when he was a slave that when he has a flashback he isolates his mind from his body. Denver brings the loneliness theme into the chapters because she is the only child that Sethe has. Denver doesn’t have any friends because of the fact that her house is haunted and people are afraid. Each one of the themes used in the first three chapters relates to Sethe. Experience would best represent Sethe past because Sethe was born into the world that didn’t believe that African American children were innocent but should work and be beaten for any wrong doing. Sethe was just a 13 years of age when she came to Sweet Home plantation and she got married to a man soon after taking the little innocence she had away. Sethe present would represent innocence because as I read when Paul D visited her, she seems to act like a scared child when being touched. She mentions how she doesn’t know how to love and feel awkward when Paul D touches her. To me I think that she experience so much when she was a child that put her in a child’s state of mind even though she is an adult now.
The main themes introduced in the first three chapter of "Beloved" deal with loneliness, depression, and reoccurence of the past. Sethe has gained experience by dealing with the lost of her loved ones. With that being said, I would describe Sethe's past as her state of innocence because she was learing how to cope with her hardships; whereas her present would best represent experience. Although it is no easy task in dealing with the lost of a loved one over time Sethe has had no choice but to learn to live with it.
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ReplyDeleteTameka Christmas: Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn, "Beloved," by Toni Morrison, the major themes are loneliness, race, and effects of slavery. Denver, Sethe's daughter, establish the theme loneliness in the story. She is angry at Paul D because his visit has cause her mother to show affection towards him. Being the only child, she feels that her mother should pay attention only to her. Sethe's past represent experience. Sethe was forced to work and married young. Slavery has cause Sethe to experience more at a young age than her adult life. Sethe's present represent innocence. Now, she don't her many responsibilities because most of her children are dead, her husband is dead, but only Denver is alive. Sethe's past was a learning experience, but her present is her innocent state.
Tempestt Carter: Week 2
ReplyDeleteThe themes introduced in the first three chapters of Toni Morrison's "Beloved" are pain, loneliness, and allowing the past to dictate one's future. The past pain of being alone with no one there for comfort and the loneliness that comes with that takes a toll on Sethe’s present life. Her past has hindered herself from obtaining a feeling of comfort. When Paul D comes to be with her she is unable to react in any other way but re-telling her past hurts to him in efforts to avoid being hurt again in the present. Any innocence Sethe may have had was overcome a long time ago by the experiences of her past. However, her past would still be a representation of innocence because how was she to know everything she would go through in such a short period of time? All she could do was learn from her experiences. In her past, Sethe was simply trying to survive the best way she knew how; mostly by running. Now, in her present, she has better understanding and experience of the people and world around her; which is also why her past continues to hinder her present. Despite all of her found experience; however, Sethe can sometimes revert back into that innocent child-like state of mind.
Adam Nguyen: Week 2
ReplyDeleteThe major themes that I believe are introduced in this novel are loneliness and remorse. I choose loneliness because of the lack of company that they receive in the house. Denver talks about how no one ever talks to her or visits the house at all. She states that neither boys or girls like her. She also has no siblings left because they are all deceased. I also see remorse from the scene where Sethe and Paul D. had sexual intercourse. After the act, it seemed as if they were not satisfied with what happened. The author states, "Half dressed and short of breath, they lay side by side resentful of one another and the skylight above them".
I believe that Sethe's past is her innocence because of the first time experiences with everything. She had to learn how to manage with everything that was thrown at her. Her experience would be her present because she experienced the worst of everything that was thrown at her. There are no longer surprises awaiting her in her future. She is aware of what may come because of her harsh past.
In the first three chapters of the novel Beloved, the main character, Sethe, is constantly reminded of her past. These recurring reminders of her past present the theme that we can’t run from our past. What has happened to her is something she can never forget and haunts her present life. Dominant factors that present themselves in the first three chapters are grief, despair, and anger. Sethe most obviously experiences grief due to the circumstances of her children. Her daughter, Denver, most identifies with despair because of brothers’ absences and her mother’s bad decisions. She feels alone and is totally against the decision her mother has made to bring a man into their home. Anger presents itself when the spirit of Sethe’s dead daughter reacts to Paul D’s, arrival in a battle between the two. From the daughter who was murdered to the two sons who ran away, Sethe deals with grief for each of them. Sethe’s past experiences most represent innocence. Even though all that she has been through might make her experienced to others, which is plausible being that she has had to grow up quickly, I, however, don’t feel that someone having to grow up and act grown and certainly not age defines one’s innocence. Though having to have gone through what she has makes her an experienced person, in my eyes, it doesn’t take away from the innocence at heart.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading through these three chapters, the theme became almost instantly clear to me. You simply have to make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present. This is something that Sethe neglected to do and is now reaping the benefits of that. Sethe’s past, in my opinion, represents experience. In the book, it gives examples of how this can be true. She worked; dealt with losing a child, raising children, took care of Baby Suggs when ill, and provided for her family. While all the circumstances weren’t the most favorable, Sethe had to deal with all of it anyway. On the other hand, innocence can be most related to her present meaning she doesn’t always acknowledge all that took place back then. I think that Paul D came to jog her memory a little bit. It’s my belief that everything happens for a reason and nothing by accident. Paul reappeared to remind her all that she had to endure. Hopefully, now she is able to see that your past always has a way of coming back around if you don’t deal with it.
ReplyDeleteThe first three chapters of Beloved show guilt and growth. I say that because Sethe is haunted by the child who she murdered. As I read the chapters, I felt as if Sethe felt guilty about it at first but she has grown from her past and eventually she will learn from it. Not only is she feeling guilty about Beloved but she has to deal with the death of her other family members. Sethe's past represent innocence because she did not know what she was doing when she murdered her child. Her present represents experience because she has dealt with Beloved's death so by her family being dead, she can cope with it better.
ReplyDeleteAs the pasts of Paul D and Sethe were revisited, the themes of pain, hardship tragedy, and gloom presented themselves. Being slaves, both Sethe and Paul D went through many occurrences of mistreatment and injustice. In revisiting those horrid times, those feelings of agony and misery were brought back to mind. Sethe’s past involved many incidents of male domination over her self control. She was forced into many sexual encounters and ultimately forced to take away the life of her child in the effort to obtain control over her life. This constant overpowering took the blame away from Sethe in reference to the majority of the unpleasant events that occurred in her past. Because she was a slave, she didn’t have any “rights” to her own life, so the horrid life she had was unwillingly inflicted upon her. Once she escaped slavery, she became a woman of experience because of how many obstacles and tragic events she dealt with in her past. Her past is what set the circumstances for her present, and that, in itself, came with many burdens. Because the unfortunate incidents of her past were mostly out of her control, dealing with them in her present life caused her to mature into a woman of experience.
ReplyDeleteKelly Lockett : Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn the first three chapters of the novel as well as in the chapters that follow, the past is constantly intruding on the present. These intrusions introduce many themes in the novel such as longing, sadness, fear, eagerness, loneliness, and in a way a sense of shame. The theme longing is introduced because both Sethe and Baby Suggs are longing for their children. Sethe is longing for her baby girl that passed away, and also for her sons who ran away. Baby Suggs is longing for the chance to have been a mother to any of her children. This is also where loneliness is introduced because Sethe is without her husband. The theme of sadness is introduced because of the separation of her and her husband, because of the losses, and because of all the things they had to undergo being a slave. Fear comes in when we learn that the house is haunted with the soul of the deceased child. This haunts many people in the house, and fear cause the two other children to escape it. Sethe introduced eagerness because she is eager to get rid of the thoughts from her past, and all the bad things that have occurred. Last but not least a sense of shame comes in when we see the things that happened during the slavery days. Innocence best represents her past because many of her actions were not based on what she wanted or her own choices. She only wanted to escape, and be able to have the ability to live life on her own. She did not experience and probably would not have experienced any separations and possibly losses if she were not a slave. Experience however, would best represent Sethe’s present. It is because of all the things that Sethe experienced in the past, and all of the hardships that her life is now the way it is. She has scares and memories of a horrible past that haunt her. These memories and experiences make it much harder for her to move on to a better life or try to take part in better experiences.
Within the first three chapters of Beloved, I felt a sense of sadness, loneliness, and abandonment. The past continues to push into the future. When the daughter, Denver, was talking to Paul D she explains how they haven’t had any visitors in a long time because of the belief that the house is haunted by a ghost. Sethe is isolated from the rest of the world and without compassion or the presence of loved ones. She has lost her children, husband, and mother. Her innocence would have to be being pure to the world and not having knowledge of how cruel and evil it could be. Her experience would have to be shaped by the aspects she has endured within slavery such as rape, abuse, and seeing people die and/ or being murdered. Her past haunts her and will continue to be apart of her as she moves into the future.
ReplyDeleteErica Gbekle: Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn the first chapters that we read it shows a lot about the past that Sethe has experienced. The theme of the first three chapters is you can never escape your past and it can always come and haunt you in the present. Sethe past has made more experience in sense that all the things that she has been through has made more aware of what is happening to her the present. But when her past comes back it shows the innocent that she once had in the past. When Paul D comes back into her life he reminds her of all the memories she had in the past, and the pain and suffering that she went that brings out this innocents she wants had.
Sethe has had a tragic/sad past and that was evident from the beginning of the novel. In the three chapter we have read so far, Sethe has no biologically family present, she was married but lost her husband, had four children and lost all of them except one, and lost her mother in a period of about six to ten years. The past is circumstances have made Sethe experienced moreso than innocent because she knows more than a innocent person does. It is possible that when Sethe was much younger she was innocent, but in her older years she became experienced. It is very evident that Sethe's present lifestyle is lived by what has happened to her in the past. In my opinion she lives her life based on the worst and does not have high expectations. The past is very much and always will be apart of Sethe's life no matter what, but I do believe that could change. If Sethe is willing to let the past be the past and live for the present and future, she could have a better life. What will Sethe do?
ReplyDeleteThe first three chapters of Beloved I felt the major themes introduced were Longing/Sadness, Anger/Regret and also Hope. Sethe is saddened and longs for her children, and at times her husband. Grandma was saddened at the loss of her son, because he had been her "somebody" for so long. The longest child to stay with her. Of course we see that Denver is longing for her brothers, and a friend, but she also is sad when Paul D comes along and it seems her momma has a friend and she doesn't. I see a longing for her momma, as we also see her longing for the deceased Baby to come back. Sethe is so sad out of all of them. Her life just seems filled with nothing but longings for people from her past.
ReplyDeleteOf course with all the longing and sadness going around there was plenty of Anger and Regret. I was shocked by the fact that Sethe was less angry about the tree on her back (they beat her) and outraged that they took her milk. She drilled this into Paul D. The deceased baby being angry is a given, but I see her as a typical two year old. Unable to express her true emotions or unable to understand what it is she is truly feeling she acts out and throws a tantrum. She hates Paul D, because I think at this point she might feel a little sad to be chased away from her momma and her sister. I mean have you ever tried to get close to a 2 year old parents? They will push you off in a minute. They hate to share! Denver expressed her anger with typical teenage attitude and "lip". Paul D had a moment of regret when he first slept with Sethe. He built it up for all these years to be this huge thing in his mind that the reality just didn't meet his expectations.
Despite all of this, I saw hope. Denver thinks that maybe Paul D might not be so bad. Paul D notices how Sethe as a used to be slave woman can love her child so much. He envies that because he only knows how to love a little bit. He wants this. He hopes that he can stop being a walking man. And Sethe I think she hopes that this could be the companionship she's been missing out on. When they were all holding hands and Sethe decided it was a good sign. A life she thought. Could be. That's why she wore her "Sunday Best".
I feel conflicted on Sethe's past and how it is best represented. I feel like when the story is told through her eyes she has a very innocent view of things. She wants some type of wedding, she was in the corn fields messing around with her boyfriend etc., but looking at it from an outside viewpoint I see her as very experienced for her age. Knowing enough to make the wedding coupling bed special. She also knows that having all her children by the same man is not a usual occurrence. She knows enough to lie to Amy about her name when they first meet. Just some of these things lead me to want to choose experience over innocence.
As for her present circumstances, experience is the only way to describe her life. She has loved and lost. She has buried children. She has been raped and beaten. I'm sure it's not easy having to take care of her daughter on her own, and then to deal with a deceased baby spirit throwing tantrums. Sethe has her hands full as any experienced woman can.
Brianna Jenkins: Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn the novel "Beloved" the first three chapters focus on main character Sethe who struggles daily with the haunting of her past in slavery, in the form of her threatening memories and also in the form of her dead daughter’s aggressive ghost. One of the primary themes of "Beloved" is loneliness, grief, issues of race and effects of slavery. Her daughter Denver brings the loneliness to the story she has no friends and she feels excluded seeing her mother and Paul D flirting. Grief is seen through Sethe and Baby Suggs both over the circumstances of their children. Closely tied to the theme of race is that of the past. Every character has experience a cruel past, complete with the haunting legacy of slavery. Sethe's agonizing past is a metaphor to her current impotence. Her past would represent innocence because as slaves it is very often where young ladies have to grow up early even if they don't choose too. She was very young and didn't know what would happen. Her current situation represents her deciding factor due to the reconciliation of the past.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteErrol Williams Jr. : Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn this very suspenseful novel they have many different themes that are brought to the readers attention. The many flashbacks that occur during these very unorthodox chapters make it hard for the reader to stay attached to the present. Sethe has been depicted to be a very vulnerable, spiritual, unlucky, and lonely woman who has the felt death’s unmerciful sting time after time. Death by death she seems to loose more and more interest in life, she has lost many a children to death and desertion. A former slave Sethe has been subject to many different cataclysmic events, whether directly or indirectly. If a title is required the title that should be given to Sethe is experience, due to the fact she has been acquainted with death, sorrow, misfortune, misery and abandonment. The reason that death is one is because she has lost her baby girl, whose spirit is unfortunately terrorizing the household. Sorrow can be attributed to loss of the child and the fact that she has a rough past, which may have had a tremendous impact on her life. Misfortune has struck every soul that has lived in the house, and in the middle of the second chapter it is obvious that their situation is getting the household frustrated. Misery and abandonment are shared amongst the family, but especially Sethe because her two sons have abandoned her. Her past and present are full of experience, but she alone has fallen prey to death’s mighty clutch which deems her present as innocent.
Karedonovan Oliver: Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn the first three chapters there are recurring themes of death, pain, and sorrow. Sethe seems to be the primary protagonist of the story, and is presented with misfortunate happenings. In her younger years she was beaten to the point where the skin on her back is dead while being robbed of the breast milk. Her boys ran away from home as soon as they got a good chance. Also the ghost of one of her dead children constantly haunts and dictates the lives of her and her daughter Denver. All of the flashbacks so far depict impending doom. Even the flashback with Amy that described Denver's birth had an ominous aura present. As for the aspect of innocence vs experience, it seems as if innocence is a brief as possible and subject to experience asserting itself into play.
Jared Willis, Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn this novel, the intrusions play a monumental role in the development of the development of the story thus far. The themes that these intrusions introduce are themes of love, lust, racial segregation, racial discrimination, and the ability to move forward, hence the term intrusion. I believe that because of her younger life at the Sweet Home that Sethe is hindered and dramatized at the same time because of the things she endured and didn’t endure at the same time. I feel that Sethe’s past and present situation are both best categorized as experience because of what she has gone through in her life. Even as a younger girl, her ordeals as a slave gave her experience that lead up to how she is living today. The conditions that she saw and that she dealt with was something that gave her insight and the ability to mature faster than normal. Sethe’s present is experience because she learned a lot from having her children leave her. Sethe coped with the hardships that came with being on her own until Paul D returns to Sweet Home. However, I do believe that innocence and an immature mind led Sethe to have sex Paul D.
In the first three chapters of Beloved, the theme and mood of the book is very dark, and sad. The angry theme is intense because it is carried within Sethe, Denver, Baby Suggs, and even the house. Every aspect of Sethe's life has been difficult, as demonstrated by the flashbacks. The flashbacks help show the progression of Sethe and Denver's life. Though their life isn't easy in the present, it was harder in the past. Because of all of the misfortune in the past, Sethe's past brought her into experience more than her present. She had to deal with a dead child followed by a haunted house and her boys run away. All of the heart shattering events has taken away the innoncence from Sethe.
ReplyDeleteSarion Granger: Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn the first three chapters of the novel,"Beloved", Sethe's past is constantly conflicting with her present and future. Sethe is forced to relive her days of being a slave and having to escape captive. She is also battling with the evil spirit of her dead daughter. Sethe feels that her baby is now a ghost haunting them because of her wrongdoings in the past. The novel teaches a lesson of how it is impossible to escape your past but it is possible to learn from it to make a better present and future. The dominant themes that present themselves in the first three chapters are loneliness, depression/sadness, and hope. Denver is the loneliest character so far in the novel.She actually finds comfort and safety in the ghost's company. She is longing for a friend or champion and she truly misses her brothers. When Paul D arrives she feels that he not only took her mother's attention away from her but he also ran the evil spirit away from the house. Denver expresses these emotions by talking back or giving "lip" like any typical anger daughter would do. Denver and Sethe both suffer from depression. Sethe is depressed because she can't even remember how her children Howard and Buglar look, she seems to only remember the sycamores. She is depressed about the fact that she had to kill her child and make detrimental sacrifices just so that her children wouldn't suffer from the harsh reality of slavery. Denver is sad because she can't seem to get her mother to tell her the whole truth about her past. Denver only seems to get bits and pieces of the stories. Sethe believes that her job is to keep Denver from knowing anything about their past. Sethe doesn't seem to realize that by her keeping this information from Denver is only hurting their relationship and resulting in Denver living in confusion.
Despite everything, I believe that this novel does contain some hope. Denver starts to realize that maybe Paul D might not be so bad. Paul D is hoping that Sethe can turn him from a walking, wondering man into a faithful, grounded husband. Sethe is hoping that Paul D can finally be that companion that she has been lacking since the lost of Halle.
I feel conflicted on whether Sethe's past represents innocence or experience. On one hand, in Sethe's eyes she is seen as innocent such as when she tells the story of her and Halle in the cornfields. On the other hand, she doesn't seem too innocent because she knows that she has to lie to Amy by giving her a false name so that she wouldn't have to go back to slavery. This proves that there is no line or age when innocence ends and experience begins. A person usually goes back and forth from experience and innocence simultaneously.
Sethe's present circumstances proves that she is experienced. She had to deal with the lost of children, being beaten and raped, and even having a evil spirit throwing unexpected tantrums. Her hands are full so she can only be an experienced woman.
Much of this book is related to the past. The plot of the story itself has much to do with the past. Sethe constantly thinks of the past when she recalls Baby Suggs, her mother in law, as well as Beloved, her daughter. Later other people enter the story that were once in Sethe's life back at Sweet Home. After reading the first parts of the story, it is obviously shown by Toni Morrison that Sethe showed much innocence in the past back at Sweet Home. In the present, Sethe shows experience, but not necessarily in a good way. She seems worn down from devastating events since the time of Sweet Home when she was a slave. It seems as though Toni uses Beloved, the ghost that haunts the house in which Sethe lives in, as a memory of the past. Something that haunts Sethe and the entire family daily. Their past consists of many dark events such as being a slave, the death of her first child, Beloved, and her sons leaving her. I think the biggest theme of this story involves the past. Not only is the ghost used to remember of the past but also Sethe's scar is something that is a constant reminder of the past as well. The house is another point that connects to the past, and the list seems to go on. Sethe is haunted by her memories and it is something that she cannot let go of. One of the major themes in this story that the past brings out is that experience is something we look at as a positive aspect, but sometimes experience comes with a lifetime of hardships.
ReplyDeleteDestini Hall week 2
ReplyDeleteIn these first three chapters of the novel it leads me to believe that the past shows up quite frequently. Major themes that are introduced are lonliness, repression of emotions, and greif. Sethe's past represent more of experience. In her past she has dealt with a child dying, living in a haunted house, and her two boys running away. She had no choice to be mature in her choices in her past because of the circumstances she was put in. Her present reminds me of innocence. She acts as someone who has social skills that haven't yet developed. She isolates herself and her daughter. Amd when Pauly D came to visit she acted as a young child would when he tried to lay a finger on her.
Kaci Foster: Week Two
ReplyDeleteI believe that a couple recurring themes throughout the novel "Beloved" are grief and loneliness. Sethe is obviously broken up about the loss of her daughter. Although she may not blatantly state such, the recurring images of "the ghost" make it clear that the thought of her dead daughter has not left her life. This theme of grief ties directly into another theme of loneliness. Sethe has lost her husband, her mother-in-law, her sons, and a daughter. Plus, she does not know where the other men are who used to live with her at 124. She has every reason to be lonely; the people in her life who have been the closest to her have all vanished. All she has left is her daughter, Denver. The two themes tie in to one another, in that, Sethe's loneliness and longing for her daughter is what is causing such grief for her. Many people grieve for lost loved ones, but the intensity of the loneliness she feels because of her daughter's death, on top of everyone else around her leaving, is what has caused it to become such a major aspect in her life.
I would say that experience best represents both her present and past. In her present, she has had the "experience" of life and knowing the hardships and trials that come with so many of life's ups and downs. However, as a slave, she was still faced with hardship and probably had to grow up rather quickly. Both reflect experience, in my opinion.
Shanti Hubbard: Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn the first three chapters of the novel the themes seems to be grief and pain due to the constant intrusion of Sethe's past on her present life. The majority of the things she remembers are depressing and it just takes her to a place of sadness. It would seem that experience represents both her past and present because through all the memories she recalled there was never a time that she seemed innocent. She was always desling with tough choices and trying to decide which hard decision was worth making.
The theme of slavery and its effects, the coming of age, and forgetfulness are present in the first three chapters of the novel as the past continuously intrudes on the present. These two themes remind us that it is hard to forgive but not forget. Innocence would describe Sethe’s past because she has made many decisions with little wisdom as she was coming up as a slave. The choice of who to marry was a major choice that displayed her innocence and lack of knowledge. The fact that her past is so painful also illuminates her innocence, as we all have once experienced growing pains. Sethe’s present state is experienced because of the excruciating growing pains that she has experienced. Her tree looking scars prove to us that her experience is deeply rooted in the sweat that once rolled down her back.
ReplyDeleteThe first three chapters of Beloved have the themes of loss,regret and spirituality. The way that the past and present collide allows for the innocence and experience to bee seen. In the past Sethe was a young mother with little experience with children and in the present she has weathered many adversities and she has harden herself to them. Sethe's past is the innocence and her present is the experience. In the past the fact that she had so many suitors at Sweet Home showed innocence because the book said "she was beautiful then". Sethe was young and new to love and the idea of finding a partner. This event shows her innocence to a certain degree. As for experience, that is expressed with the "tree like scar" on Sethe's back. Trees have roots that grow deep and having a scar in this shape can show that Sethe's pain runs deep like the roots of a tree and she knows what it means to have gone through hardship.
ReplyDeleteThe intrusions that is introduced in the novel are grief (sadness), loneliness, and evil. The grief comes from the fact that seth has lost almost everyone who means something in her life and some whom she are responsible for their death. Baby Suggs dies, her two sons, Howard and Buglar and her daughter. The loneliness occurs though out the first three chapters, Denver feels lonely when seth and paul D go up stairs, no one ever comes to visit because the house is haunted and last but not least her brothers go away, she feels the loneliest through out these chapters. The evil comes it because the house is haunted by seth baby girl and paranormal activities start happening when Paul D comes. The reason the brothers leave is because of the evil baby girl. i think denver represents innocents in the story because she did not ask for all of this to happen she really has nothing to do with all this. Also seth's memories represents innocents. Experience is represented by the tree that is on seth's back it show how she has been through hardship in her life.
ReplyDeleteIn the novel “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, the themes that recur in the first three chapters are loneliness, slavery, and sadness. Sethe’s daughter, Denver, experiences loneliness because her mother had isolated them from others. Denver also experiences loneliness when Paul D comes to visit and her mother gives him all of her attention. Sethe’s past keeps haunting her because she was introduced to slavery at a very young age. This will make her past represent experience than her present. Her present makes her seem more innocent because she acted as a young girl when Paul D had come to visit her. Sadness is throughout the first three chapters. Some examples of sadness are Sethe lost her children (except Denver), sadness in her past at “Sweet Home”, and sadness that she feels when she stays in 124 (the haunted house).
ReplyDeleteShannon Douglas: Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn the first three chapters of the novel, several themes are presented as a result of the past constantly intruding on the present. Some of those themes are loneliness, pain, and regret. Through the first few chapters Denver expresses that no one comes to visit their home because of the tales of it being haunted. Her mother is the only being she has had to hold onto, and make a strong connection with. When Paul D came to visit the house he stripped away the only form of comfort Denver had left, her mother Sethe. To cope with her loneliness Denver reflects on the good times she once had with Howard and Buglar before they ran away. These memories only bring more pain that she is not yet ready to deal with. Secondly, the theme of pain is being developed through these chapters. As Sethe and Paul D try to make up for lost time we are introduced to the “tree” that is growing on Sethe’s back. This tree is a symbol of all the pain Sethe has been carrying for the past 18 years, and has yet to deal with. Sethe thought she could get over this pain through a few minutes of pleasure, but couldn’t even bear to perform the actions it would take to make her feel better. This circumstance alone shows that innocence would best represent her present, and experience would best represent her past. She was forced to grow up so early that she lost the chance to enjoy pleasure of innocence that comes with a family. Now that Denver is her only dependent, there is less of a need for experience.
Patrick Evans: Week 2
ReplyDeleteThe major themes expressed in the first three chapters, I believe, are remorse, unshakable regret, and the constant search for a way to forget the past. Sethe's past was a very sad and tortuous one that she is trying to put behind her and start a new life. But with the arrival of Paul D. and the house in which she is reminded of her two sons, who ran away and were believed to be killed, she has no choice to bring up her past and how she ended up where she. It is also because of the physical harm she sufferred when her was taken from her and she was beaten and had her milk stolen from that will stick with her and remind her of the past that leads to believe that it is futile for her to try and escape such thing. In the terms of innonence versus experience, I believe that in Sethe's past, Sethe started off innonence due to the fact she waited a year to decide on a husband and she mainly kept to herself and Baby Sugg, but she was forced to mature and become more experienced when her husband, Halle, disappeared and she attempted to leave the Sweet Home to start a new life. As for her present lfe, I believe that she is trying to become innocent once again, and start over with her daughter, Denver. She does by not revealing to Denver that she was actually found by her former slave master, and sent to jail, she actually gave birth to Denver. She also does this by trying to forget her past and focus on her future.
In the first three chapters of Beloved some of the reoccuring themes are grief, pain, and loneliness. Grievance comes into play mainly in the first chapter. Sethe griefs over the loss of Baby Suggs, the murdering of her baby girl, and the loss of her two sons due to the ghost of the baby girl within the house. Pain comes into play when Sethe talks about all the horrors that occured at Sweet Home. The pain she endured at Sweet Home was unimaginable. She was raped and abused by men at Sweet Home, which led to the sculpting of the chokecherry tree on her back. It became a reminder of where she had come from and all the hardships she went through during the time she was there. It was kind of like her own personal symbol. Finally, there was a sense of loneliness throughout the first three chapters of the book. Sethe and her daughter Denver had been lonely for a very long time, even from the time Sethe escaped from Sweet Home, while impregnated with Denver. On her journey to freedom she was all on her own. The only person who really helped her was a little white girl who gave her the location of the house where she and her daughter now resides. In her conversation with Paul D she emphasized that she had made it all by herself, meaning that she had found freedom and made a living for herself on her own, and she had a certain pride for herself in knowing what she had done. Innocence would obviously represent Sethe's past. As a slave she was young and naive, and she couldn't really make any decisions for herself. Now, in the present she is more experienced and on her own. She has been through all the pain and sorrow Sweet Home had to offer and now she is trying to make a living for herself and her daughter.
ReplyDeleteI think the theme that is shown throughout the first 3 chapters is change and acceptance. It seems that Sethe, Denver, and Paul D all experience this in just these first chapters. Paul D is transitioning from his old to this new life he is beginning with Sethe, and accepting it for what it is. Denver was accepting of her old life(house), but now that Paul D had cast away all that terror that haunted the house she had to learn to live normal. Sethe believed for example that the scars on her back created a tree that defined her, but now Paul D had made her accept that they were really just scars. I think Sethe’s past showed both innocence and experince because she was innocent, and kind of learning as she went through life, but her present led her back to innocence because she had to experience this new way of life that Paul D now created for her.
ReplyDeleteThe major themes that I believe represent the first three chapters of the book are loss, isolation, and haunting of a spirit. Sethe and Denver are living in a house that is haunted by the ghost of a dead baby. This very baby causes any company that might come to the house to stay away and even causes Sethe's own sons to leave. Baby Suggs passes away shortly before the boys run away, leaving Sethe and Denver to live alone with the ghost. Denver has become somewhat attached to the spirit of the baby and is upset when their only other visitor, Paul D seems to run the ghost away. It is rather sad that the only friend the little girl has is the ghost. The two are completely isolated from other people in the town and Denver feels the brunt of it. Sethe herself is extremely lonely and has lost many people in her life but seems accustomed to her lifestyle and refuses to leave 124. The scar on her back represents the hardships and challenges she has had to overcome throughout her life. I believe innocence would represent Sethe's past due to the fact that none of her loved ones had passed away yet and she was living a fairly quiet life at Sweet Home. It wasn't until she decided to leave that she began to experience some of life's hardships like having to crawl to safety while with child. Her present state represents experience because she has seen much tragedy and is almost numb to life's downs. She has been living with a ghost for some time at this point and both of her sons, mother, and husband are no longer in her life. The open wounds she has received from life are now figurative scars much like the one on her back.
ReplyDeleteIn the story Beloved, some of the reoccurring themes in the first three chapter are grief, loneliness, and pain. Grief in the beginning of the story was the feeling Sethe felt for the death of her first born baby girl. Loneliness was shown through Denver who felt all alone in that haunted house with no one coming to visit them. Finally, pain was suffered by Sethe who was in physical pain through the beating she was given while present and also the emotional pain of all her children dying or leaving her.Sethe's past was that of innocence because she wasn't exposed to the pains of the world yet. What I mean is that in Sethe's past she acted on feelings and emotions she was feeling at that time. Also she didn't have the wisdom that made her numb towards life she posses in the present day. In the present Sethe is experienced in the fact that nothing in life seems to affect her because she has seen it all.
ReplyDeleteIn the first few chapters of this novel there are a few themes that come into play. One that introduced itself early on is grief. The grief controls the life of Sethe. In the house they reside in the death of a baby happened. That baby haunts the house causing nothing but ciaos amongst everybody in the house. Soon enough both of Sethes sons end up leaving the house and the family behind. If this is not enough. Sethe also has to deal with the grief of the loss of a loved one,Baby Suggs. During these first few chapters the past of everything that happened to Sethe and her family intrudes on her present life. She cant help but to remember her sons that ran away from home and Baby Suggs death. They both cause her to experience remorse, which is another theme, feeling as though she wish she could do something to change what took place. Sethe cant help but to look back on her past because she is permanently scarred in a figurative sense.
ReplyDeleteIn the first few chapters, the mode is an emotional and spiritual type feeling. The book explains how Sethe lost her daughter 18 years ago and her spirit haunts the house that her and her youngest daughter Denver lives in. When Sethe’s friend Paul D comes to visit it bring back so many memories about her past and slavery, which she always tries to forget because it was tragedy that occurred. The house is haunted because Sethe killed her daughter Beloved so she wouldn’t be put into slavery she rather she died than suffer from the abuse of slavery. This situation brings back a lot of emotions. Sethe’s daughter Denver hates living there she wishes that her mother would move but Sethe doesn’t believe in running from her problems, she would rather stay and deal with it. But the spirit of her Beloved is affecting her relationship with Paul D and her daughter Denver. The situations that happen make her more experienced than innocent, because she has seen a lot and went through it all.
ReplyDeleteThe intrusions of her past are a representation of how she has not completely gotten over the things that occurred in her past. The constant reminiscing of everyone that she has once been close to being taken from her, is a heavy burden to carry. The only person that she has left is Denver, and Sethe barely survived while carrying Denver in her womb. Denver symbolizes hope and a ray of sunshine in the midst of darkness. Although the past constantly interferes in her present, Sethe still tries her best to forget everything bad that happened and only recollect good memories. Sethe had a strange way of saving her children from slavery. She killed her child in cold blood to ensure that she never had to endure slavery. I do not completely agree with this theory, but the things a mother would do for her child to make sure that their child lives a better life than them are astounding. Her sons ran away and she was left alone to fend for her and Denver; this act in itself was not common back then. When Paul D showed up at the house, that was the one time Sethe should have just completely let go of herself and encounter this outer body experience, but the past intruded again and all she could think about was when everyone she loved was still present in her life.
ReplyDeleteAmber Hudson: Week 2
ReplyDeleteThe overall theme in Beloved for the first three chapters is struggle. Sethe struggles with her past and past experiences. She tries so hard to not think about slavery and living on the plantation. She also struggles with the greiving of her dead child. Sethe's dark past has left her with deep scars, both mentally and physically.
The most obvious theme introduced in the beginning chapters of Beloved is of slavery and its aftermath. Sethe and Paul D travel through their memories of that time period and and then back to the present time which represents its aftermath. Another theme introduced is dealing with a haunting past. Through the sharing of Sethe's past, one can conclude that her past most closely represents experience. Sethe has been through a lot in her life, the events and experiences she remembers demonstrate a hard life. Although it may seem odd to have a past represent experience and a future of innocence according to our preconceived timeline of when innocence and experience usually occur, Sethe's life is a great example showing the possibility of such an inverted circumstance. Sethe's life in the present is calm compared to the frantic days of her past. Stating that her life is calm now may seem like an understatement considering the supernatural episodes she and her daughter experience but compared to the daily chaos she survived, the statement doesn't seem too extreme. It seems as though Sethe had to endure more hardship in her pass and overcome much more than she does now. Having to overcome trials and tribulations makes one experienced. Once those times have passed or become seemingly calm, one can revert back to innocence.
ReplyDeleteKristen Priestley: Week 2
ReplyDeleteIn the first three chapters of Beloved, the themes that come to mind are sorrow, anger, jealousy, and lust. There is sorrow because Denver actually misses her sisters' spirit/presence in the house after Paul D intrudes. In the beginning, Paul D was kind of hesitant in walking in once he saw that red light shinning, and Sethe had to correct him that it wasn't evil, but sadness. The anger and jealousy arouses once Beloved hears Paul D's manly voice, and feels the bonding and closeness between her mom and Paul D. She then shakes the house to scare Paul D, causing commotion and things to break. All he did was put on his manly voice and told the ghost(Beloved) to go away, which she did. Lust comes along when Paul D starts to hold onto Sethes breast and kisses up her "tree" (whip marks) on her back.Which then leads them upstairs to the room. I feel that both the past and present represent experience. Sethe was a slave since childhood, so she never really had a chance to be innocent. All of her experiences from her past, the beating, raping, loss of her children and Baby Suggs, represent everything she is going through in her presence. She also knows how the "Sweet Home Men" are, being married to Halle for so long, so she knows what to expect from Paul D. Her experiences have resulted in her being the complicated woman she is in the present.
Some major themes brought up in the first three chapters are mainly grief, bitterness, and regret. I say grief because of Sethe's pain over the loss of almost all of her loved ones. She loss her husband, her mother-in-law Baby Suggs, her daughter, and her two sons. She hasn't truly healed from all those losses. Bitterness is a theme because of the baby's spirit that's in the house. Sethe makes it seem as if the spirit is upset with her for letting her die. The baby's spirit does weird stuff with the house that eventually runs Sethe's two sons away. The spirit is bitter over it's death. Regret is also a theme because of the struggle that Sethe is having. She regrets not being their for her daughter when she sent her way, especially in regards to the breast milk. Even at the beginning of the book she regrets not putting more words on her daughter's tombstone.
ReplyDeleteI think innocence would describe Sethe's past. Besides being a slave, she was innocent. She hadn't loss any of her loved ones yet. In the book she said she was proud that Halle fathered all of her children. This made it seem as if she didn't know that it could be any other way. Also she didn't know exactly how to go about marrying Halle after he proposed. That was very innocent of her not to know that they needed a ceremony among other things. Experience would describe Sethe's present because she had gone through a lot of life's hardships by then. She has experienced a wife's pain, a mother's pain, and physical pain.
Sydney Burnett: Week 2
ReplyDeleteThe first three chapters of Beloved introduce the theme of the constant clash between a person's past and their present. The book's constant switch between flash backs and reality force readers to focus on each event. Sethe tries to be "innocent" in the novel by providing for her and Denver, disregarding the upset soul of her nameless baby that passed. Denver symbolizes Sethe's innocence, in a way, because she enjoys the unhappy soul's company and is happy around it. Contrarily, Paul D symbolizes Sethe's past and the hardships experienced at Sweet Home and the journey to escape it. Due to the tribulations, Sethe's past is filled with experience. The past and present collide when Paul D comes to the house and fights off the soul of the nameless child. Paul, representing the past, moves in while Denver, representing the present becomes saddened at losing the only company she felt she had. Paul D brings memories of Sweet Home and the people who lived there. The two sleep together, but lack the feeling of excitement they used to have in the past. Their reaction proves that past feelings do not always translate to the present day.
Throughout the first three chapters of the book beloved; the major theme that keeps recurring is "reflection." Sethe struggles in cooping with her past and present which is understandable giving her circumstances. Sethe's past tells us "the readers" that she is more experienced than she is innocent.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading the first three chapters of the book, I noticed many themes. Some of the themes that I thought of while reading were anger, supernatural, regret, and sorrow. From Sethe's past I would say that represents innoncence. I belive that this represented innoncence because she was really young and was just getting to know the world as a grown woman. I also would say innoncence because if she knew any better, she probably would have still had all of her kids there with her. Sethe also puts of innonce because she plays the role of a oving mother that does not want anything in the world, but to take care of her kids.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, i believe that Sethe's present is the experienced part of her. I belive this because now she knows how to deal with all the hardships that have be thrown at her such as Baby Sugs passing, her two sons running away, and the baby ghost that has been terrorizing her house. She also is experienced at keeping Denver intact knowing that she is having a hard time dealing with not only living in a haunted house, but she didn't have any friends or visitors and she has come to her breaking point.
The first three chapters the themes that jump out to me are anger, bitterness, and depression. The character Sethe struggles with both her past and present. Its like a conflicting battle between the two, that she just can't get a grip on. I think she feels bad and guilty about her children as she says "Eight children and that's all I can remember." I think her past is perceived as innocence, she was young and fresh and just entering the world as a young woman. But her present as experience, she has gone through life and now reaping the consequences of her actions.
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