Examples Of Sethe In Beloved

In Toni Morrison's novel Beloved, the character Sethe faces a strong suppression that is a result of her past as a slave. Sethe's past traumas hurt her, causing her to suppress her emotions, memories, and even her own identity. In the novel, Sethe's suppression shows itself in a myriad of ways, and it is only through challenging her past that she can overcome herself. One of the ways that Sethe's suppression is shown in the novel is through her inability to her emotions. Sethe is often quiet and reserved, keeping her thoughts and feelings to herself because she believes she doesn’t have the right to define who she is. She says in Beloved “Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined” (Morrison 88) This is in complete contrast to other characters in the novel, such as Baby Suggs, who, are open and expressive with their emotions even while knowing they were a past slave, who take their

She has buried her identity deep within herself, unable to fully accept who she is. She even changes her name from "Margaret Garner" to "Sethe" in an attempt to display the difference between her and her past self. "She called herself Sethe and the name was the shape of her face, the color of her mouth, the way she walked and who her children were. But she was a new person, and the past was dead as far as she was concerned." (Morrison 17) This suppression of her identity is a result of the trauma she experienced as a slave, where she was not allowed to have any sense of self or individuality. Through the appearance of Beloved, Sethe is forced to confront her past and accept that she was the reason for Beloved’s death. “The appearance of beloved in the story, manifests the idea that Beloved was killed by Sethe when she was an infant and is returning as a haunting spirit”(Heller 110) Beloved represents Sethe's past, and as she learns to confront and accept her past, Sethe can begin healing and moving