About Beloved By Toni Morrison
In the novel Beloved, Toni Morrison tells the story of a former slave, Sethe, who has escaped to Ohio after she kills her baby girl in order to save her from a life of slavery. Eight years after her escape, Sethe’s daughter, Denver, lives a secluded life with her mother in their Cincinnati house, which is haunted by the ghost of the baby girl. One day, a woman named Paul D. comes to the house and tells Sethe that he has come to take her back to the plantation where she used to live. Sethe is hesitant at first, but eventually agrees to go with him. On the way to the plantation, they stop at a town called Sweet Home, where Sethe used to live with her children and her husband, Halle. There, they meet a woman named Baby Suggs, who is the mother of eight children, all of whom were sold into slavery. Baby Suggs tells Sethe and Paul D. about the day her children were taken away from her and how she has never seen them since. When they arrive at the plantation, Sethe and Paul D. are reunited with Sethe’s old friends, including a woman named Stamp Paid, who helped Sethe escape from slavery. They all share their stories about their time in slavery and their life since then. Sethe tells them about the day she killed her baby girl and how she has been haunted by her ghost ever since. Later, Paul D. and Sethe make love for the first time in eight years. After they finish, the ghost of the baby girl appears and Paul D. is finally able to see her. He tells Sethe that the baby’s name is Beloved and that she is his daughter. Sethe and Denver are finally able to start living their lives again and they even invite Paul D. to live with them. However, the presence of Beloved starts to take a toll on their lives. Beloved is always there, haunting them and demanding attention. Sethe starts to neglect Denver and she even starts to think about killing her again. One day, Beloved disappears and Sethe is relieved. However, Denver tells her that she saw Beloved going into the woods with a man. Sethe goes into the woods to find Beloved and she finds her with a man named Mr. Bodwin. He tells her that he has been hired by Beloved’s father to take her away. Sethe is heartbroken, but she knows that it is for the best. She tells Mr. Bodwin to take Beloved away and never come back.
