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April 03, 2007
Morrison's Characterization
On page 84 Sethe states,“I have other things to do: worry, for example, about tomorrow, about Denver, about Beloved, about age and sickness not to speak of love.” This is an intriguing line because it directly addresses some of the concerns that control Sethe’s life. Though the novel very lucidly jumps between times and memories, Sethe is always portrayed as a very strong character. Through this strength there is little internal focus on her motives or the specific things that are important to her. This line seems to break this pattern and focuses them. To me, I felt that this helped us locate who Sethe is and some of the values in this place in her life. With the book just beginning, and the obscure manner of storytelling Morrison uses, this is useful. The reader is able to connect characters and themes that are floating around the novel and tie them directly to Sethe. This in turn builds some initial stability.
The same thing happens a few pages later with Denver, but there is a focus on the young girl’s needs. “Nothing was out there that this sister-girl did not provide in abundance: a racing heart, dreaminess, society, danger, beauty” (90). It is clear in the initial descriptions of Denver that she has some sense of longing and much of her behavior is an attempt to remedy this. Her dislike of Paul D, her desire for the ghostly hauntings, and her love of story telling are examples of these. Beloved is able to satisfy all of these in her quiet mysterious nature. But more importantly, by addressing all of these needs, Morrison is able to clear up some of the confusion Denver creates earlier in the novel.
Posted by willmelv at April 3, 2007 11:54 PM