There is nothing worse than the grief that taunts a mother who has sliced her own child’s throat. Unless, however, that child coming back alive to seek revenge on her. This is exactly what happens in Toni Morrison’s novel when a memory of Sethe's dead daughter, Beloved, shows up at her home. The character of Beloved functions as both the Jungian archetypes of the child and the mother to Sethe, helping her move towards individuation. Carl Jung was a swiss psychiatrist who believed that the human psyche consisted of three parts: the ego, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. According to Jung, archetypes are universal patterns which exist in the collective unconscious. He believed these recurrent images possessed universal …show more content…
As the neighbors look at the two girls holding hands they observe that “The devil-child was clever... And beautiful. It had taken the shape of a pregnant woman, naked and smiling in the heat of the afternoon sun” (308). A pregnant woman is the ultimate representation of a mother, by resembling one Beloved has completely transformed into the mother. It’s described that “they was holding hands and Sethe looked like a little girl beside it” (312). This symbolic notion of Beloved as a pregnant mother and sethe appearing a small child holding her hand is very important. This scene is where the role reversal is complete and Beloved undeniably functions as the other archetype to …show more content…
The most significant moment in Sethe’s transformation occurs while on the porch with Beloved. She charges Mr. Bodwin, Beloved is left on the porch, “now her hand is empty. Sethe is running away from her, running, and she feels the emptiness in the hand sethe has been holding. Now she is running into the faces of the people out there, joining them and leaving Beloved behind. Alone. Again.” (309) Sethe has gained the strength to leave Beloved’s side resulting in her disappearance. In this moment Sethe has finally realized she does not need Beloved to have an identity. Being able to function as her own separate person is a giant leap towards reaching