"Carve Your Name on Hearts": Beloved Analysis the Fourth

In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison explores the idea of names and definitions, especially regarding identity and freedom as externally determined or self-determined concepts. While many of her characters face challenges regarding identity, none is more profound than those of Stamp Paid, who exhibits not only self-determination, but who also lives up to both his chosen name and his birth name. When approaching 124, Stamp Paid reflects that he was  “born Joshua, [and] he renamed himself when he handed over his wife…handed her over in the sense that he did not kill anybody, thereby himself…with that gift, he decided he didn’t owe anybody anything” (218). Stamp’s given name, “Joshua”, in and of itself may be an allusion to Joshua of Exodus. After the death of Moses, Joshua was appointed to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land. In the same manner, Stamp Paid is the veritable ‘liberator’ of the community, the one who led slaves through the Underground Railroad to freedom—their own Promised Land. However, Stamp had “renamed himself” after deciding that his name no longer befitted the man he had become. The word “gift” to describe Stamp Paid’s sacrifice at first seems to refer to the surrender of his wife; however, it could also refer to his decision to not forfeit his own life at her request. Though not explicitly stated, Stamp Paid thought this personal, terrible sacrifice had rendered him debtless. All of his “stamps”, literally his debts (including his wife’s request and the master’s as well), had been paid. By changing his name, Stamp Paid concretely christened himself as a new person, and perhaps, though never explicitly stated, took a step towards true freedom. However, despite the fact that he owes no one, Stamp continues to embody the name of Joshua, whether he claims to belong to it or not, perhaps revealing how names others give still have the power to define even if they are discarded. Finally, this passage underscores how in Beloved, autonomy, choice, and self-definition are almost (if not entirely) equally as important as skin color when externally or internally determining true freedom.