"Beloved" Memories

Beloved Memories I Beloved, different references to past memories are made very often. Yet, in the story, we are not provided with any background information on Sethe or any other characters in the story. It is interesting how the audience meets a character and gets to know more about them as the know them for a longer period of time. I feel like this type of writing makes the story seem more real and personal. Since we are learning about the characters in a way that we would with any other friends that we have in real life, we as the audience are able to find a deeper connection with the characters. Throughout the story, Sethe is constantly mentioning and being reminded of past memories that she would rather forget. I feel that this is is an example of what is also true for all of our lives. No matter how bad a memory is or how desperate we are to make certain memories disappear from a life, it is not possible. Once something becomes such a large part of your life it is not going to simply vanish. In the story this is true by the ghost of Sethe’s baby haunting the house, and also true when Paul D. comes to visit Sethe. Paul D’s arrival brings back plenty of memories from Sethe’s old life on Sweet Home before she escaped and married her husband, Halle and gave birth to her daughter, Denver. Discovering more about a horrible memory will also help build one’s understanding of why certain events played out the way they did. Through Paul D., Sethe discovered how Halle was not the only man she had a choice of at Sweet Home, and also why once they ran away, Halle did not meet up with her as planned. These new facts hurt Sethe tremendously but also helped her gain an understanding for who she is and how she ended up how she is in the present. Memories mold character. One cannot simply discard or replace memories because that involves discarding or replacing a piece of oneself. I think that it is interesting how Sethe tries so hard to put aside these