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April 04, 2007
Regarding 124 and the ghostly spirit
Toni Morrison's Beloved is full of figurative language. Few of the most frequently used tools are symbolism, similes, and metaphors. The house and the spirit together seem to function as symbolic devices for the various characters. Each character seems to appreciate the house/the spirit for his or her own reasons. Sethe appreciates the house and the life there simply because it is not Sweet Home; she is tired of running and 124 was the first house of freedom she experienced. She is more or less sentimentally tied to it. Denver is tied to the house via the ghost. "Denver had taught herself to take pride in the condemnation Negroes heaped on them; the assumption that the haunting was done by an evil thing looking for more," (45). As for Paul D, he is excited by the new possibilities arising in his mind. For Paul D, "compared to 124, the rest of the world was bald," (49). The object of his desire (Sethe) back from Sweet Home is here and Paul D is excited by his newfound opportunities. The house essentially shows the importance of freedom for Sethe and Paul D. For Denver, it is more of a place her only companion (Beloved) resides, and spatially speaking, its all she has ever known.
Posted by kkamaria at April 4, 2007 05:56 PM