Water Symbolism In Beloved

A character’s actions have a deeper meaning than what is written. In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Beloved and her actions appear to have a deeper and symbolic message than what is put on paper. Beloved is believed to be the manifestation of Sethe’s late child. Her actual origin is unknown, but when she is first introduced, she is described emerging from a body of water. Throughout the book, her actions both appear to be harmful to the community around her, but she also aids those close to her. Beloved herself is interpreted as a symbol for past and present day times. The story of Beloved focuses on the experiences of an embodied spirit. Her traits are trying to balance between good and bad as those around her are aided in her presence.

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Denver says "anything coming back to life hurts," which is the entire premise of this symbol (Morrison 20). She symbolizes how the past can come back to harm someone. Beloved comes back to remind Sethe of the past. She is the only person that Sethe will confide in. She gives Sethe the ability to come out with stories that she keeps to herself. In doing so, it becomes a form of self discovery for Sethe. Beloved is also representative of current time. She emerged from water and describes the place she comes from as “hot” and having “nothing to breathe and no room” (Morrison 88). Beloved may represent slaves that were sent by ship to the states. She could be showing the harm done to slaves and her frequent mood swings could be a direct result of the damage. A number of characters in the novel are on a path of self discovery. Beloved’s emersion from the waters symbolizes those character’s

Her traits are trying to balance between good and bad as those around her are aided in her presence. Beloved is a character whose traits are quite balanced. Her actions are not thought through, but it helps characters find a new light. She leads the plot of the novel. Without Beloved, the novel would be without direction. The story is about self discovery. Sethe and Paul D find themselves contemplating their past lives and emotions because of things Beloved has done. She is responsible for most of the difficulties in 124, but she is also responsible for some of the positive events that occur during her