Teddy Janes
AP Lang
March 25, 2013
Baby Beloved
When Paul
D, Denver, and Sethe return home from the Carnival in Cincinnati, they find a
woman outside of their house. Toni Morrison’s descriptions of this woman
portray her as an infant who has come to 124 for revenge. The woman’s physical
appearance mirrors one of a baby since the woman has “new skin, lineless and
smooth, including the knuckles of her hands” (61). A baby’s hands are often so
smooth that the knuckles cannot be seen, just like the hands of the woman.
Morrison’s description of the woman’s skin links the newcomer to a baby. When
Sethe sees this woman, she feels a sudden urge to urinate, which she describes
as, “like flooding the boat when Denver was born” (61). Morrison links Sethe’s
urination to when Sethe’s water broke and she gave birth to Denver. This simile
reinforces the image of baby, and since Sethe feels like she is giving birth
right when the new woman appears, the likelihood of the new woman being the
ghost of Beloved increases. Once Sethe comes inside, Paul D tells her that the
woman “said she was thirsty… Mighty thirsty look like” (61). Morrison’s double
entendre creates two different possible interpretations of the word “thirsty.”
Literally, the woman, again resembling a newborn baby, is thirsty and needs
someone else to feed her and provide her with water. On the other hand, the
woman may be “thirsty” or hungry for revenge. These two meanings show that this
woman, who highly resembles an infant, may be returning to 124 to haunt or get
revenge on its dwellers.
Teddy,
ReplyDeleteI understand the connection of thirsty to the theme of appetite, however, how do you know that the ghost wants to have revenge, or even that this woman is the ghost? Clearly, she has infant characteristics, and (this may sound like a nagging point) ghosts are not corporeal. The first bits of analysis are great and make total sense, and surprisingly, were something I did not notice till we discussed them in class. The end part about revenge, while a logical conclusion, is flimsily supported and is more speculative than anything. Though overall, it is a strong analysis.
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ReplyDeleteYour analysis is very good, but I do not think Beloved wants revenge. I understand that "thirst" can sometimes refer to revenge, but in this case, I just think Paul D means that Beloved is thirsty. Also, I don't see a reason why Beloved would want revenge.
ReplyDeleteGood connection of Sethe's impulse to urinate marking a birthing scene; however, I do not think the chapter nor your excerpt suggest Beloved is back at 124 for revenge. The word choice of "thirsty" in this case is probably literal. Your analysis of her baby-like features is very strong, I would have made that the main theme of the paragraph instead of the less concrete theme of revenge.
ReplyDeleteTeddy,
ReplyDeleteYou delineate your logic well in this analysis. Your discussion of Morrison's double entendre is especially nice. However, one thing you may want to consider is the larger context of the scene and how it might work on another layer. By this, I mean you may want to discuss whether Beloved's appearance is just a ghost story, of if it means something else or something larger.