This book came with many recommendations and warnings. Not negative, just cautionary. During my high school experience I have read difficult books; whether the themes were complicated or the writing style. Sophomore was Shakespeare unit, as old English is no longer spoken, it was difficult for my classmates and I to decipher the lines. As well as the allusion to customs and items that do not exist.

Beloved is set 150 years ago with drastically different laws. Morrison did such a great job setting the story in that time period without it overshadowing the characters within. Many of the language and foods are from the South, as a permanent northerner I did not recognize many of the words. The reader needs to have access to further information like the internet to look up the things that they do not know otherwise they get lost and lose the meaning.

Morrison set it up this way. Embedding the characters in the story is what makes this narrative so different than other slave fiction. However I do not believe this is her best book. This is some of her best writing, just not for me.

At the end of Beloved, in the last two pages, Toni Morrison shows us who Beloved truly is. Throughout the entire book, Beloved has been Sethes “best thing,” her most treasured creation who she can’t let go of, not again. Her own best thing begins to slowly eat away at her until there is almost nothing left, then suddenly leaves. Without Beloved Sethe is adrift, presumably resigned to the same fate as Baby Suggs, slowly dying in her bed.

In the very last pages, Morrison gives the following description of Beloved:

Everyone knew what she was called, but nobody anywhere knew her name. Disremembered and unaccounted for, she cannot be lost because no one is looking for her, and even if they were, how can they call her if they don’t know her name?

Beloved is disremembered because she is memory itself. She is everything Sethe has experienced, good and bad, and eats away at Sethe because Sethe cannot truly recognize her. Most literally, she is Sethe’s memory of her lost daughter. She goes to the fair with her, eats sweet things, and dresses up in bows, being everything that Sethe wishes she could have been. But this cannot come on its own, because Sethe’s daughter’s death did not happen in isolation. Beloved is also the memory of slavery, of loss, and of all the other terrible things Sethe and the people around her have experienced. She is with everyone, but they do not truly know her because they cannot fully accept her. She may ostensibly leave Sethe, but she cannot ever really leave anyone, because they cannot run from their memory.

In Beloved, Toni Morrison crafts the character of Beloved as both a literal and metaphorical manifestation of the past’s trauma. She represents the unrelenting force of slavery’s terrible legacy, a spectral figure who embodies the haunting emotional and psychological scars of Sethe, the protagonist. Beloved’s presence in the novel is at once corporeal and ghostly, signifying how the past constantly intrudes on the present, refusing to be buried or forgotten.

On one level, Beloved is the returned spirit of Sethe’s deceased daughter, who was killed in an act of defiance by Sethe. On a deeper level, she functions as a symbol of the collective trauma of the protagonists in the book. As Sethe’s daughter, Beloved calls into question the boundaries between memory and identity, as Sethe is compelled to confront the guilt and love entwined in her act of infanticide.

Beloved’s behavior- her infantile demands, her manipulation, and her eventual destructive nature – illustrates the consuming and regressive impact of unresolved trauma. Ultimately, Beloved’s complexity lies in her simultaneous role as a literal child and a vengeful spirit. Showing that trauma must be reckoned with in order to heal.

While reading Toni Morrison’s “Beloved,”my group was tasked with noticing instances when trees were mentioned in the novel. I quickly realized, trees played a significant role in shaping the novel’s themes and its commentary on society. Trees in the novel symbolize both refuge and remembrance, serving as a complex representation of how deeply entrenched and rooted the characters experiences in slavery are inside of them. For Sethe especially, trees are reminders. The “chokecherry tree” scar on her back, inflicted during her time as a slave, is constant proof that sometimes emotional scars linger just as long, if not longer, than physicals ones can.

Trees also represent a connection to nature and a sense of rootedness for the characters. Paul D for one finds comfort in the trees, as they remind him of the Sweet Home plantation, a place of both suffering and camaraderie. The trees at Sweet Home are witnesses to the brutalities of slavery but also to moments of solidarity and resilience among the enslaved individuals. This duality reflects the complex nature of memory and the difficulties the characters have with reconciling the past with the present.

The motif of trees ties into the broader theme of healing and the search for identity in “Beloved.” Just as trees have deep roots and branches that reach out, the characters’ histories are deeply rooted in their experiences, and they must navigate these memories to find a sense of self. In a societal context, Morrison’s use of trees highlights the importance of remembering and acknowledging painful histories to foster healing and growth. The novel suggests that just as trees need strong roots to thrive, communities must confront and understand their past to strongly build a more compassionate future.

Ultimately, the motif of trees in “Beloved” underscores the enduring impact of slavery on individuals and society. It serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and strength required to heal from trauma and the necessity of confronting historical injustices to create a better world. Through the imagery of trees, Morrison eloquently weaves together themes of memory, identity, and the quest for healing in the face of a painful legacy.