After reading this section of the book I have no doubt in my mind that the theory we discussed in class about Beloved being there to punish Sethe is completely true. The scene that comes to mind is the one in the Clearing, where Sethe asks Baby Suggs (or rather, the ghost of her) to massage her neck. This turns dark quickly as the soothing presence turns violent and begins suffocating and strangling Sethe. When this is discussed later between Denver and Beloved, Denver confirms that she saw Beloved try to strangle Sethe. So far Denver has always been the one who saw Beloved for what she really is, the ghost of her dead older sister. So I have reason to believe that she is right when she says she saw Beloved try to strangle Sethe. With that established, it is pretty obvious that she is trying to punish Sethe for some previous wrongdoing.
What that wrongdoing is I am not sure yet. The obvious speculation is that Sethe somehow caused her daughter’s death, and Beloved is there to haunt Sethe and make her never forget what happened in the past. I’m very interested to find out what exactly Sethe did to Beloved that would make her want to come back to haunt her, or even strangle her. All of this being said, I find the characterization of Beloved to be very interesting. In most stories, the return of the ghost of a dead family member or friend is typically seen as a happy event. To be able to see a specter of a lost family member is usually a blessing for someone in mourning. But in Beloved, the appearance of Sethe’s dead daughter has only wrought mystery and stress. To me Beloved’s scenes are always very eerie, and honestly creep me out the more we learn about her as a character. Especially when you consider what happens between her and Paul D, which I have no idea why that happened or what it represents. Either way it is obvious to me that Beloved’s appearance at 124 is not a happy one, and she really does represent a figure of punishment, notably for Sethe.
I think that you made an interesting point about the return of dead family members or friends; specifically, how these occurrences are typically portrayed as happy ones. Morrison clearly has an intention with this characterization, and I think that it serves as a symbol of the magnitude of trauma-related memories. As you touched on, additional moments with a loved one are often cherished and appreciated; however, Beloved serves as a reminder of a traumatic period in Sethe’s life which explains the mixed opinions/reactions on Beloved’s presence.
I am interested in what Beloved has planned for revenge on Sethe also, and I am additionally interested if she will end up wanting to hurt Denver as well. Regardless of her intentions, whether good or bad, Beloved looks at Sethe with adoration of a child, and sibling rivalry could cause her to want to harm Denver as well?
It is interesting that you bring up that only Denver has seen Beloved for what she truly is. I find that fascinating because Denver was also the only person in the 124 house who didn’t see Beloved in real life. Sethe, of course, saw her own child in person, and Paul D say Sethe while she was pregnant. That might be a bit of a stretch, but Denver only has stories to remember Beloved and the fact that she can identify her makes me wonder if Denver has some connection to the past as well. I don’t know what that looks like yet, but Denver clearly has something special that others don’t.