Beloved Analysis 3

            In Beloved, when Sethe is reunited with her children after successfully escaping slavery and arriving at 124, Toni Morrison describes the scene with surprising and unconventional diction, emphasizing the powerful, emotional nature of the moment. First, when the children are brought to her bed, “Sethe lay in bed under, around, over, among, but especially with them all” (110). With the exception of “with,” these prepositions would not typically be used to describe such a scene. By incorporating these words, Morrison draws attention to the importance of this moment and vividly depicts the love Sethe has for her children. After their initial reunion, “Buglar and Howard played with her ugly feet” (110). The first few words of this clause sound cheerful, evoking images of children playing, so the harsher word “ugly” is somewhat jarring. This choice of words vividly conveys the scene, helping to reveal its unusual nature. By emphasizing this particular detail, Morrison again strengthens the bond between Sethe and her children, because they all seem happy, despite her “ugly feet.” Morrison uses this type of unusual and even jarring language in Beloved to draw attention to certain particularly significant moments and to further emphasize certain parts of the story such as, in this case, Sethe’s powerful love for her children.