Beloved has been a breath-taking novel to read, in that it has taken me on a very emotional and involved journey into the present and past of many amazing but also terrifying characters. Morrison knows how to write. There are many themes, scenes, or even literary devices that could be touched on, but I want to talk a bit about the specifics of Sethe’s back -- her “choke cherry tree” (18), as Amy referred to it. I think that although the tree is mostly focused on at the beginning of the novel, it’s important to think about it as a basis for the rest of the novel. It shows the significance of Sethe’s past and therefore the reason that she is the way in the present, as well.
And so, we are first introduced to it first in Chapter 1, as Sethe briefly reflects to Paul D. on her past and that “it cost too much!” (18). Although I can understand what she’s referring to much more clearly now, when I was first reading this part, I didn’t have as much context for what the “tree” (18) was, or what Sethe had really gone through. I was initially introduced to her struggles through the lens of this scar that she carried on her back. To me, that meant/means that a lot of her struggle is based off a physical characteristic she has. The physicality of things in Beloved are given breadth because they are the reminders of everything that has happened. We see this in a couple ways: 124, the neck of the Baby, and later on with Beloved and the way her body is (there are other examples, but these are three significant ones).
Sethe’s scar is identified as a “tree” for a couple different reasons. It represents her family in a way, and the fact that it is complicated and not always appreciated by her or other people. She has had to figure out what her family means to her, and has to sacrifice a lot to maintain it. The complex and ugly mass of scars on her back represents how complicated and incomplete her family is. It also shows Sethe’s burden in life, and how hard slavery was for her. We see this a bit later in the novel, when Sethe recalls an encounter with her mother, a woman who didn’t take good care of her. Sethe’s mother reveals a “cross burnt right in the skin” (72), under her breast, telling her “I am the only one got this mark now. The rest dead. If something happens to me and you can’t tell me by my face, you can know me by this mark.” Not knowing exactly what to say back, Sethe says “But how will you know me?... Mark me, too” (73). Sethe’s mother slaps her because she feels Sethe doesn’t understand. And so when Sethe gets her own mark, she finally does understand what hardship is. Although the reason for Sethe’s mother’s scar is potentially different than Sethe’s in the way it ended up on her skin, I think this scene in Chapter 6 is another key part to understanding Sethe’s plight.
I wonder if you all have other thoughts of what this scar represents? Paul D also reacts to it in a curious way -- by first kissing it and then being disgusted by it. This interaction sheds more light on the relationship between Sethe and Paul D more than solely on her scar, but I think other thoughts can be gained from this scene. If you have anything to add or question, I would love to hear them!
That scene with Paul D and the scar kind of disgusted me only because there was a glimmer of compassion from Paul D and then all of a sudden he's like girl get that away from me... idk I was just unhappy with how that ended; especially considering what the scar represents. If it represents her past, was Paul D disgusted by her past in the end? I find that incredibly hard to believe considering he went through his share of hardships. Was it disgust in that he thought he had more of a right to be scarred by his past?
ReplyDeleteAll these questions and hesitations I had about Paul D after that bit significantly lowered my opinion of him.
I like how you view the scar's description of a "tree" as reflecting Sethe's familial roots, and the combination of scarring plus tree represents the intersection of history and family, which is of course central to what this novel is all about. But there's a sad irony in all this, as the scar represents a fresh injury when Sethe makes her escape--it's like, she gets out of slavery, but she still brings this open wound with her. And that open wound is closely associated with family, both the children she needs to "bring her milk to" and the husband she's left behind. (And, in light of what we now know, the scar quite literally represents Halle's inability to protect Sethe--from the boys who steal her milk, and the schoolteacher who whips her when she tells Mrs. Garner.) The ambiguity of its beauty--to see it as a "tree" transforms the mark of horrific injury and violation into a kind of body art--also reflects the ambiguity of Sweet Home (where Paul has his "own" tree, which he's named "Brother"). There are beautiful trees there, but they represent the beauty of hell, not paradise.
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