Literary Devices Used In Beloved

elicit emotions (Harpman, 261). Mirroring the acceptance of the haunting of Beloved’s baby ghost, these portray inverse forms of facing traumatic memories. Furthermore, Morrison reflects the role of storyteller through utilizing familiar elements to convey a message, in reimagining Beloved through the lens of Denver’s birth, a story often told by Sethe. The emergence of a physically present ghost creates an atmosphere that forces memories to resurface for Sethe, and “the gothic not only grows real, it also grows in scope, taking up more and more room in Sethe´s house and in the narrative” (cite, cite) The woman, not yet recognized by the residents of 124 as the embodied ghost, shows traits of an infant, “ridiculously dependent” with “open,
As a result of his years in slavery and its aftermath, Paul D fears the past, suppressing his own memories in a “tobacco tin box” of his heart, a symbol to demonstrate the postmodern element of self alienation present throughout Beloved. The alliteration of ‘tobacco tin’ alludes to the sound of metal. Coupled with the immediate imagery of a “tin box”, this highlights a potent juxtaposition to the soft, human imagery of a ‘heart’. The symbol exemplifies the rejection of Paul D’s emotions, which forces him to sacrifice much of his humanity and selfhood, representing a controlled deposit of memory. Contrastingly, Beloved represents an uncontrolled deposit of memory, as she manifests a strange power over Paul D, demanding “I want you to touch me on the inside part” (Morrison, 128). Paul D cannot resist Beloved’s supernatural power and unwillingly becomes seduced by her, repeatedly chanting the phrase “red heart”. This repetition mirrors the pulsating rhythm of a heart, suggesting that this encounter has loosened the lid of his “tobacco tin box”. Moreover, the emotive imagery of the color ‘red’ implies that it has enabled human passion to flow through his heart. Through this metaphor, Morrison illustrates that as an embodiment of the past, this encounter with Beloved surfaces Paul D’s humanity through his memories, forcing him to engage with them. Beloved’s inferred