A Thin Line

Julia Goldman

            After Sethe, Denver and Beloved return from the clearing Beloved walks into the house alone after Sethe. Morrison’s use of the human imagery mixed with the animalistic creates a haunting tone, lending insight into Beloved’s motivations. While looking for Denver, Beloved starts watching a cardinal hop from limb to branch” (119). The words “limb” and “branch” are often interchangeable, but the use of both in the same sentence creates a distinction. While “branch” almost exclusively refers to a tree or other plants, “limb” can also refer to a human or animal limb. This language gives the tree both natural and human qualities, blurring the line between the two. This tactic lends itself to the line the novel walks between ghost story and narrative. As the bird gets farther away from Beloved, Morrison writes that she “followed the blood spot shifting in the leaves until she lost it” (119). The bird begins as “a cardinal” (119) and ends as a “blood spot” depicting a change from the animalistic to the natural, much like the imagery with the tree. The bird is no longer a living thing but merely a “spot” that is disappearing. This shift demonstrates the fine line between life and disappearance. Before reuniting with Denver the animalistic change is applied to Beloved herself because she is “still hungry for another glimpse” of the Cardinal (119). The use of the word “hungry” creates an animalistic overtone to Beloved’s actions, as if by following the bird she is stalking her prey. This tone gives the impression that Beloved might not be all that she appears to be. The thin line created between the human and the inhuman reinforce the haunting tones throughout the novel and provide insight into Beloved’s personality.