Blog Post 15: SWEET HOME...not in 'Bama

Blog Post 15: SWEET HOME...not in 'Bama.

                The name Beloved is fitting for Sethe’s daughter because as a slave, it was a blessing and anomaly at the time for Sethe to have the opportunity to have a husband and be able to nurture her children. It is also clear that Sethe highly values her role as a mother because she constantly puts her children before herself, such as when she agreed to have sex in order to engrave Beloved’s tombstone (page 5) and when she was more concerned that the schoolboys took her milk than them whipping her (page 20). Motherhood itself is a “beloved” thing to Sethe.

                It is clear that Denver’s lack of companionship has affected her emotional growth. All of her life, Denver’s only company has been her mother and Beloved’s ghost. There have been no visitors at 124 because it is haunted, and the boys and girls do not like Denver. It is evident that this condition has affected her emotional state, because she clearly feels trapped and lonely. When Paul D comes over, Denver immediately starts acting very rude towards him and jealous of Sethe’s attention towards him, because all her life Denver has been used to receiving Sethe’s undivided attention—her eyes never looking away (page 15). Once Sethe’s eyes are not focused on her, Denver suddenly spirals into a state of utter loneliness.

                Even though Sweet Home is associated with much suffering for Sethe and the men that were there, Sweet Home also represents a place of fellowship for them. Once Paul D comes to 124, him and Sethe’s friendship is easily rekindled, because they reminisce about all their times together back at Sweet Home. On page 16, Paul D says, “It wasn’t sweet and it sure wasn’t home” and Sethe replies, “But it’s where we were. All together.” Because of all the hardship they went through during their time there as slaves, they were able to form tight bonds because they were as close a thing to family as they had at the time. Because they were placed in an “us vs. them” type situation, it brought all the slaves together in a strong and tight unit.