Beloved Reading Response

Throughout the novel of Beloved there are many occurrences of spirits or supernatural powers. From the first few lines of the novel there are dark powers that are summarized from traumatizing events of life at 124. The supernatural occurrences seem to stem from the dead child’s rage and from the beginning the women of the household knew of it. They spoke that they were “lucky this ghost is a baby. My husband’s spirit was to come back in here? or yours? Don’t talk to me. You lucky” (Beloved 5). Even though there is this reoccurring evil spirit, they refuse to leave 124, there is always more and more suffering somewhere else.
Paul D gets a lot of first-hand experience with the supernatural at 124, and when he first observed this ‘he backed out the door onto the porch. “What kind of evil you got in here?” “It’s not evil, just sad. Come on. Just step through” (Beloved 8). Paul D is very cautious, feeling the presence, but taking heed of Sethe that everything is alright, he begins to accept the presence, but still remains cautious. Many days after Paul D had the encounter with the spirit when first entering 124, he had a more intense encounter that turned violent towards him. He told the spirit to “leave the place alone! Get the hell out!” A table rushed toward him and he grabbed its leg. Somehow he managed to stand at an angle and, holding the table by two legs, e bashed it about, wrecking everything, screaming back at the screaming house. “You want to fight, come on! God damn it! She got enough without you. She got enough!” (Beloved 18). Paul D gets physically attached by the spirit via household items, and he is more than willing to fight back with words and actions. Paul D seems fed up with the spirit and the suffering it causes on all who visits 124.
Within the novel, there is a very eerie conversation between Denver and Beloved about how Beloved arrived and how she came back to them at 124. The way she spoke of the ‘dark’ was very