The Memories of Slavery

In Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, after Denver and Beloved see each other at the stream, Denver accuses her of choking Sethe. Morrison uses allusions, the recurring image of iron, and declarative sentences to show Sethe’s continuous struggle to avoid the past and her painful memories of slavery. Beloved says: “I kissed her neck. I didn’t choke it. The circle of iron choked it” (119). Morrison uses short, declarative sentences to show Beloved’s relationship to Sethe and the progression of events. By saying “I kissed her neck,” Beloved confirms that she loves Sethe. Beloved then tries to defend and justify herself by saying she didn’t choke the neck. It is significant because through short, simple, and declarative sentences, Morrison is able to show that Sethe will always be haunted by her memories. Beloved then says “the circle of iron” strangled Sethe. The phrase “circle of iron” is a reference to the shackles of slavery. Thus, Morrison uses Beloved to show Sethe’s continuous and futile attempt to avoid the past and memories. In fact, the more Sethe tries to run away from the past, the more she remembers it and the horrible memories.