Beloved IV

Brandon Mikuriya

AP Lang, Period 5

April 10, 2013

Beloved: Rhetorical Analysis IV

In Beloved, Toni Morrison highlights the unique relationship shared by Denver, Beloved, and their mother, Sethe.  After experiencing the loss of Paul D, Sethe enjoys ice skating with her “daughters” and determines that “the hand-holding shadows she had seen on the road were not Paul D, Denver and herself, but ‘us three.’  The three holding on to each other skating the night before; the three sipping flavored milk” (214).  By repeating “the three” multiple times, Morrison employs anadiplosis and anaphora in order to emphasize the power of three—together, they would persevere.  Paul D’s sudden departure shattered Sethe’s ability to trust all but her three-woman family: Denver, Beloved, and herself.  In addition, “the hand-holding shadows” seem to represent what could have been—an unfulfilled scenario.  If the woodshed incident had not occurred, Sethe could have experienced a joyful family life with her five children.  However, in this scene, Sethe accepts her current circumstances and painful memories by resolving to closely hold her remaining family, her two daughters.  Finally, “the three sipping flavored milk” promotes recollection of a previous scene in which Sethe fed Denver milk tainted with Beloved’s blood.  Although Morrison commonly utilizes the milk motif, this usage sheds light on Denver and Beloved’s relationship.  Denver consumed Beloved’s blood, and in doing so preserved her spirit.  In light of previous chapters, Denver seems to possess an unusual obsession for her sister, which can be explained by “the flavored milk,” or bloody milk—this gift may have saved her life.