Beloved Analysis 3

After Sethe’s rememory prompts a painful recollection of the “butter-smeared face” (101) of Halle, she decides to head to the Clearing, the place where Baby Suggs used to preach, in order to properly honor Halle’s memory. In the Clearing Sethe recalls the uplifting and open preaching of Baby Suggs in direct contrast to her and Paul D’s protective emotional nature. Baby Suggs states when free from the bonds of slavery, a person should let their “flesh weeps, laughs…dances in bare grass” (103). This image serves to contrast itself with Paul D’s “tobacco tin” heart image by encouraging flesh to be flesh as it was not allowed to be antebellum. The near rhyme once again calls to mind a nursery rhyme, which lightens and establishes the positive nature of this sentiment. Baby Suggs goes on to contrast freedom and oppression with a series of negations stating “they do not love your flesh…eyes…the skin on your back…your hands. Those they only use, tie, chop off and leave empty” (103). Morrison catalogues various body parts in order to demonstrate the beliefs of Baby Suggs and by example other slaves that the slave owner only deems the slave’s hands as useful for mindless labor, while the vital parts of the body are considered superfluous to the job. However, Baby Suggs goes on to implore her people to love themselves and open up to love. Whereas Paul D shuts himself down to avoid getting hurt, Baby Suggs believes this closed-off philosophy defeats the purpose of being free and only encourages more physical and emotional oppression.