Tree Imagery In Toni Morrison's Beloved

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In Beloved, recurring images of trees serve as multiple sources of symbolism. The main usage of tree imagery is in connection to healing and life for some characters and death and pain with others. For Sethe, trees represent a suppression of horrible memories from her time as a slave and fugitive. Instead of remembering events from that period in her life, trees act as a shade, protecting her from the emotional scars that were left behind. In her times as a slave, Sethe saw two other slaves being hung in trees, but when recalling the memory, she remembers the trees instead of the individuals being hung. When describing the scene, Sethe recalls “boys hanging from the most beautiful sycamores in the world” (Morrison 7). This description puts an emphasis on the beauty of the trees rather than the fact that the boys are dead. Sethe strips the identity away from the boys, which emotionally pulls her away from the visual of seeing two boys, who she might have known, hanging dead in a tree. It also shows that her mind had the ability to protect her from these horrific images by blocking out certain details while bringing others to life. …show more content…

When Sethe finally escapes from Sweet Home and schoolteacher, she runs, even though she’s pregnant with her daughter Denver. Sethe runs through a forest, her legs almost giving out, when the white girl, named Amy Denver comes out of the trees (Morrison 220) and helps her rest. The appearance of Amy Denver from the forest is a beacon of hope for Sethe, who was on the brink of giving up. Without Amy and her willingness to help, Sethe probably would’ve died alone in the woods. It’s almost as if Amy Denver is Sethe’s guardian angel, appearing from the depths of trees to provide

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