Friday, June 13, 2008
Beloved (Part 1)
Working my way through Toni Morrison's Beloved right now. I am most struck by the many layers of imagery. For instance, Morrison described the "cherry tree" in Sethe's back. Is this merely a description of the scars from her whip lashing? Are there literally pieces of wood stuck in her back? And what else does this tree represent? As of now, it seems to carry all of her pain, and yet be a sign of hope peering through the despair. I am so caught by this idea. The arrival of Beloved herself is another point of interest to me. I hope I will not be proven wrong but I get this sense that Beloved is some sort of reincarnation of the dead baby girl. I feel that while she seems to exist without purpose within the world of the story, her appearance and continuous presence in 124 is significant and full of meaning. We'll see.
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1 comment:
All I can say is you better start reading 9 books a month if you're gonna make 100 a year. It's a pretty lofty goal, I haven't even read that many in my whole life, perhaps I'll recommend a book for you. Actually one of my favorites is The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich. Good luck!
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