Mysterious Origins

The character, Beloved, is introduced in Chapter 5 and and cultivates a mysterious undertone. Her entrance into the book on page 60, as a “fully dressed woman walk[ing] out of the water” is very suspicious and confusing and as I was reading I overlooked the significance of this sentence. When I first read the progression of Beloved’s origins, I did not take this visual into account as I read the following chapters. Returning from the carnival, Sethe and the family stumble upon Beloved waiting on the steps of 124.  I predicted that she was a white farm girl who had escaped and was in need of shelter, however it does not specify her race until later. Although precautious, she is invited inside and is observed to be wearing wealthy clothing because of her “good lace” and “rich woman’s hat”(62). I assumed her race to be white because of her “rich” clothing that was more difficult to attain as a color person due to impoverishment for African Americans who could not afford such clothing.  The white man’s businesses and higher status’s constructed a larger market for rich white wives. Due to my prediction that Beloved was a runaway white farm girl, her hair being crumbled into “masses of black yarn under her hat” instilled the belief that she is hiding who she used to be. The assumed interpretation of a white girl creates a representation of her history of bundled up black slaves. Just as Beloved politely arrived at 124, white’s used instinctive compassion for colored people in order to take advantage of their labor. Her mysterious origins are hidden under her hat like a tangled up rope and overshadows the unraveling of her origins.  As Beloved recovered, Denver took her in and took care of her through “patience” as because of her instinct to be “model of compassion” to exhibited her inherit compassion for others (65). There is a weird correlation between Sethe and Beloved when Sethe is cooking in the kitchen and Beloved’s shadow “clash” with Sethe’s like”black swords” (68). Beloved kept trying to pry into Sethe’s past but did not want to tell Beloved or Denver because it felt like everything in her “past life hurt” and kept her in the dark(69).

The awareness of Beloved’s mysterious character comes to light as she continues to interact with Denver. After residing with them for 5 weeks, Denver treats Beloved like a sister by playing and chatting with her. Denver teaches Beloved “how to tie your shoes” and Beloved smiled as a “reward” for Denvers generosity and compassion (77) The awareness of Beloved’s mysterious character comes to light as she continues to interact with Denver. Questioning Beloved, Denver seeks to understand where Beloved came from and why she was staying in the house with them for so long. Beloved declares her name “in the dark” because the place from which she came had “nothing” but “no room to move in”, yet contains “lots of people” and” some is dead”(88). However, I was astonished at Beloved’s response to Denver’s questioning of why she “came back”(88). It became obvious to me that the newly introduced character Beloved is the spirit of Sethe’s deceased infant because she only returned “to see her face” due to the incredible burden Sethe went to to obtain a headstone for her deceased daughter(88). Beloved’s description illustrates her resting place underground or in the underworld because the “dark”ness that Beloved experienced correlates with her infatuation to know Sethe’s past because she is trying to get to know her mother. Beloved returned because “she left [her] behind, by herself” and she wished to return to her family(89). The way Beloved returned is concerning due to the slightly disturbing and possibly demonic obsession with Sethe. Although childish in manner, the transition from underworld to physical world through the “bridge” is suspicious and could possibly involve demonic/heavenly involvement(88). The realization that Beloved represents the spirit of the deceased infant ties in a supernatural implication that constructs an intriguing plot twist. Paul D’s uncomfortability and Sethe’s and Denvers reliance upon Beloved incorporates underlying belief that historically the lower class replied more on celestial and supernatural occurrences and ideals.