Paper
Theme of healing in Beloved
November 02, 1998
Healing in Beloved The theme of “healing” is ever present in
the novel, Beloved by Toni Morrison. Many forms of “healing”
take place, with many different characters undergoing the
“healing” process. These forms of “healing” range from
healing personal conflicts from within, to healing as a
community, and by overcoming individual prejudices. I feel
that the overcoming of individual prejudices is one of the most
important aspects of this novel. Throughout the story, Sethe
(the main character) has many encounters with a variety of
people. These encounters leave a definite impression on her,
which is why I think that Sethe does the most “healing,” both
from within and by overcoming her own prejudices. The
meeting of Sethe and Amy Denver is the focal point of Sethe?s
“healing.” This takes place when Sethe (being pregnant) is a
slave on the run and goes into labor. She meets Amy Denver,
an indentured servant who is leaving to Boston. At first, Amy
doesn?t seem that she wants to help Sethe because of her
skin color, while Sethe isn?t too trusting of Amy?s white skin.
Sethe later states, “You don?t know how they?ll jump. Say one
thing do another”(Morrison 77). This kind of distrust is present
in Sethe when she tells Amy that her name is “Lu.” The
combination of Amy?s nonchalant attitude, and Sethe?s distrust
displays the prejudices of society at the time. As Sethe and
Amy converse, Sethe realizes that Amy is unlike any other
white person she has ever met. After Amy tells Sethe about
her situation, and that she was also beaten by her “employer,”
Sethe realizes that not all whites were the slave owners, but
in fact some were indentured servants. Amy then begins to
massage Sethe?s swollen feet, and says, “More it hurt, more
better it is. Can?t nothing heal without pain, you know”
(Morrison 78). I think that at that point Sethe begins build trust
towards trust Amy. Amy then goes and finds spiderwebs to
heal Sethe?s bleeding back, which displays Amy showing a
little compassion and trust towards Sethe. As Amy again
massages Sethe?s feet, the reader begins to feel like they are
no longer just black and white, but actual people that have
feelings. I think that Morrison wants the reader to get this
feeling that people are people and not property. I feel Amy
agrees with this, but at the same time the prejudices in the
society that she has grown up in makes her say things like,
“She don?t know nothing, just like you. You don?t know a
thing” (Morrison 80). Another example of how prejudices are
intertwined with society, is the constant use of Sethe calling
Amy “miss” throughout the passage. This relays a sort of
cultural boundary, the fact that Amy can call Sethe by her first
name but Sethe resorts to acting formally towards her. The
actual delivery of Sethe?s child is the climax to the “healing” of
Sethe?s own prejudices. Amy helps Sethe deliver the baby
and with no hesitation, “Push!,” screamed Amy (Morrison 84).
Amy no longer thinks of herself as being different from Sethe,
which overcomes some of her own prejudices. At that point,
Amy just sees Sethe as a person who needs help and not a
runaway slave that should be left alone. The line, “A pateroller
passing would have sniggered to see two throw-away people,
two lawless outlaws–a slave and a barefoot whitewoman with
unpinned hair–wrapping a ten-minute-old baby in the rags
they wore”(Morrison 84-85), better illustrates the bonding that
has taken place. The conclusion to this incident was the
naming of Sethe?s child, which was aptly named, Denver. For
Sethe to name her own daughter, (after killing her first
because she didn?t want her to grow up into slavery) after a
whitewoman was a sign of “healing” that had taken place
during that night. Sethe would now have a different opinion
about white people, not to say that it would be that much
different, but it definitely had changed it. In this novel Beloved,
we see the “healing” that takes place within the individual. It is
not a physical type of healing, but more of a psychological
healing. This change, or healing may look insignificant, but to
the individual (in this case Sethe) they have a new outlook on
things. They have overcome a certain barrier and now can
function in a new way of thinking. From that point on Sethe
doesn?t see all white people as devils, nor does she trust all of
them, but by having Amy Denver help deliver her baby and
thus bonding, she knows that there are many different people
with different ways of behaving. I think that there are many
other types of “healing” that occur in this novel, but I feel that
if Sethe and Amy can overcome their own personal prejudices
from a chance meeting, then this would be the most
significant “healing” in this novel.
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