Assessing Beloved

Does this book belong on the shelf of American epics?  What is the power of this book, and what is Morrison trying to say through it?

Jesus? Hercules? Odysseus?

Who is the most interesting character in this story? Who experiences the most development?  Is there a hero in this tale that counters the antagonism of Beloved?

(Feel free to answer any one of these questions and ignore the others.)

Enigmatic endings

Why does the book end with the one word: Beloved?

Why does Morrison suddenly switch POV in her last chapters?

Survival

Is it best to forget our troubled past?  Is this what Morrison is suggesting by Beloved’s disappearance?  What is the key to survival for slaves, or for all of us, according to Morrison?

Character motivations

Why does Paul D return to 124 at the end (after Beloved’s departure) and make another effort to save a relationship with Sethe?

Why does Sethe decide to live an isolated life apart from her neighbors? What do the effects of this suggest about part of the book’s message?

Why does Baby Suggs give up?  What does Stamp Paid realize, near the end, that forces him to reconsider her decision?

(You may answer any of these questions and ignore the others.)

Is Sethe wrong?

Do you understand Sethe’s impulse and sympathize with her, or do you see her infanticide as an inexcusable action?  If you can possibly put yourself in her place and imagine the horrors of slavery, what would you do when schoolteacher comes riding up to take you and your children back to Kentucky? What could Paul D. possibly have in mind when he told Sethe that there was another way for her to avoid slavery with Schoolteacher?

Original Student Entries for Beloved

What observations, theories, or questions are you playing with as you read Beloved and consider one of our listed ** Essential Questions?