Events And Ideas In Toni Morrison's Beloved

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Beloved Excerpt #4 “We should all be together. Me, him and Beloved. Ma’am could stay or go off with Paul D if she wanted to. Unless Daddy wanted her himself, but I don’t think he would now, since she let Paul D in her bed. Grandma Baby said people look down on her because she had eight children with different men. Coloredpeople and whitepeople both look down on her for that. Slaves not supposed to have pleasurable feelings on their own; their bodies not supposed to be like that, but they have to have as many children as they can to please whoever owned them. Still, they were not suppose to have pleasure deep down” (241-242). Readers of Beloved make connections between the events and ideals in the story and events and ideals in life today. Many of Baby Suggs’ ideals and beliefs about helping people and giving back to those that helped her can be seen in communities around the world today. In this excerpt, Morrison highlights key issues in society, both during the 1800s and today: adultery and promiscuity. This passage explains the view of a child, Denver, whose mother has had sex with Paul D. Although Sethe knows that Halle, her once-husband, is either dead or …show more content…

She imitated Sethe, talked the way she did, laughed her laugh and used her body the same way down to the walk, the way Sethe moved her hands, sighed through her nose, held her head. Sometimes coming upon them making men and women cookies or tacking scraps of cloth on Baby Suggs’ old quilt, it was difficult for Denver to tell who was who. Then the mood changed and the arguments began. Slowly at first. A complaint from Beloved, an apology from Sethe. A reduction of pleasure at some special effort the older woman made. Wasn’t it too cold to stay outside? Beloved gave a look that said, So what? Was it past bedtime, the light no good for sewing? Beloved didn’t move; said, ‘Do it,’ and Sethe complied”

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