Changed
for the Better? Beloved Analysis
In
Beloved, when Sethe is contemplating
the future and Paul D’s place in it, she considers the effect Paul D has had on
her current life. Paul D, by forcing Sethe to confront her memories, is
portrayed as initially negatively affecting Sethe’s life, as demonstrated by her
tumultuous inner monologue. Sethe claims that while she was alone in 124, she
“managed every damn thing” (114). The usage of “managed” in the past tense implies
Sethe feels she has lost control of her life – suggesting it is no longer true
that Sethe controls everything. The usage of the vulgar diction of “damn” reveals Sethe’s frustration,
and almost desperation, as it emphasizes the “every” – highlighting that Sethe
does not control everything anymore. Sethe then continues on to question why
Paul D’s appearance has caused her to start “breaking up? getting scared? needing
Baby?” (114). The use of asyndeton,
paired with the lack of capitalization of each new question, suggests Sethe
feels overwhelmed by the thoughts and emotions Paul D causes her; each thought
is not fully formed but instead crowds her mind like an onslaught of doubt. Furthering the portrayal of Sethe as
powerless is the verb choice of the last question. Instead of using verbs that
suggests personal independence as before, her last question uses “needing,” indicating
she has become dependent upon others as a result of her emotions. Sethe
continues on to comment that a “hint” of Halle’s fate causes her to run from
it (114). The use of “hint” reveals the
inevitable great pain that will be caused by Paul D’s divulgence of the truth, if a small amount of truth can already force Sethe to act so
uncharacteristically; instead of facing the truth like the strong woman she is
portrays herself to be, she runs away. By forcing Sethe to confront her memories, Paul D changes her
character from an independent self-assured woman into a more dependent one, a
change that, at least for now, appears to be a negative one.
Sold analysis. I like how you introduced the scene and I could follow along with what you were trying to say. In the last part of the analysis, would you say she is scared by the "truth" or perhaps because she is scared by the commitment? I feel as though she has been able to embrace the truth well (otherwise how could she deal with her past tribulations), but is frightened with the fact that she may be endure change and again- good or bad, with new commitment to Paul D. Overall, I think this is a great and succinct analysis!
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