blogging through critical lens one

In Beloved one recurring theme is the history in the character background. One of the main historical events that affects the story is the main character's past with slavery.  Sethe's actions often reflect her past with slavery and how the slavery affected her.

One example of the effects of slavery on Sethe is that her current actions and feels still revolve around her past. On page 36 Sethe says "It's so hard for me to believe in. Some things go. Pass on. Some things just stay. I used to think it was my rememory. . . . But it's not. Places, places are still there. If a house burns down, it's gone, but the place-the picture of it-stays, and not just in my rememory, but out there, in the world". This shows us that Sethe seems to have little hope. When Sethe says things like this it makes the reader feel like Sethe is stuck in the past. This also helps the reader see that slavery continues to affect people even after it happens.

Another example of this is when Sethe says "Freeing yourself is one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another". Sethe saying this shows the reader that Sethe feels as though she has no control over herself and her own choices. Sethe often mentions or makes connections about freedom, and her lack of it. This shows the reader that because Sethe had no freedom in the past she still feels like the same person that does not have freedom and can not make choices for herself.

Sethe still feeling like she has no hope for herself or her freedom shows the reader how she was affected by her past in slavery. Although Sethe is no longer at her old home she still feels like she can not move past from it. Sethe's actions still reflect the pain and unworthy feelings she got from being a slave.