Paul D’s ongoing struggle with the past comes to a head in this section. Paul D has locked his past in a tin box, refusing to recognize it or deal with any of it. He has learned how to guard himself so that the pains of his past cannot happen to him again. Paul D has such a tumultuous relationship with Beloved because she is the living embodiment of the past. He feels uncomfortable around Beloved and is not sure how to act around her, just like how he feels uncomfortable about his past and chooses to keep it locked up instead of confronting it. Paul D and Beloved’s sexual encounter is a message that it is impossible for Paul D to escape the past and that it is more powerful than he ever imagined. Beloved is able to control Paul D and make him do things that he normally would not do. The past is controlling the future and Beloved is beginning to have too much of an impact in the present.
Paul D and Beloved are at a constant battle over Sethe, deciding whether or not she should move into the next phase of her life or if she should settle in the past forever. It seems as though Paul D has won this battle and won the attention of Sethe. He sees a future with Sethe and won’t let Beloved get in the way. Sethe is still unsure of who Beloved is, however, and the discovery of her true identity might break Sethe and pull her right back into the past. The way that Beloved died is the one element of the past that Sethe has yet to confront and reflect on.
I think that this constant battle between Paul D and Beloved demonstrates the unfeasibility of entirely moving on from the past. For Paul D specifically, he attempts to deal with the past by compartmentalizing his traumatic memories. Beloved’s impact on the present serves as a reminder to Paul D that he cannot move forward without confronting his past.
I am too interested in how Sethe will respond to learning who Beloved is. I can’t imagine if it will be happy, sad, stressed, etc. Sethe looks back on her dead baby in a nice manner; however, given she potentially hurt the baby, we might see her true colors come out.
Paul D has added consistency to Sethe’s life, but instead of Paul D simply failing to escape the past, it appears as if Paul D is also bringing the past even closer to Sethe. It seems like no coincidence that the return of Beloved is coupled with the return of memories that Paul D brings. The past is not very bright, but it is a necessity for Sethe to acknowledge it in order to move on. The book seems to be setting up for a showdown between Sethe’s ability to move on with Paul D or fail to change and spend the rest of eternity with Beloved.