Beloved ideas

Question 1

Metallic imagery

Answer 1

‘tabacco tin’ ‘rusted’ metaphor for Paul D’s heart ‘lodged’ in his chest
- connotes the unyielding nature of metal composed and hard shelled promoting an idea of emotional withdrawal.
‘the iron bit’ ‘hand forged’ chains

Question 2

symbol of water

Answer 2

• cyclical and ever flowing like the generational trauma Morrison is portraying as a 20th century African American women.

Question 3

floriography (Compare to Dorian)

Answer 3

The ‘tree’ on Sethe’s back in Beloved demonstrates a natural image of scarring that can’t be masked by floral codes like in Dorian Gray

Question 4

Sethe’s eyes

Answer 4

the ‘whites’ that ‘disappeared’ from Sethe’s eyes making her look ‘blind’ is a metaphorically reversed image of racial suppression.

Question 5

Aims of the authors

Answer 5

Whilst Wilde is motivated by an aesthetic desire to reproach the moralisation of art for art’s sake, Morrisons political expression is much more subtle.

Question 6

Beloved as vampire

Answer 6

• the colour red which connotes to danger, sex and blood-foreshadow how blood is going to be involved either because exchanging fluids or because a murder
• female demon and nightmare figure that sexually assaults male sleepers and drains them of semen.
• African American folklore in the form of shape shifting witches who “ride” their terrified victims in night which embodies Beloved herself.
• Beloved drains Paul D of semen and Sethe of vitality.
• . The vampire or parasite aspect of Beloved is amplified to the extent of considering a foetus as a parasite to the mother as it attaches and its sucks life from the mother’s uterus and nourishes its body by gleaning the nutrients from the mother’s body.

Question 7

Differences in class (comparison with Dorian)

Answer 7

Sethe hasn’t got the money to spare her actions and she is later judged by Paul D when he knows about the infanticide, “You got two feet, Sethe, not four,” This contrasts with how Dorian gets the chance to hide his secret as his has the money to hide the portrait in a room, to hire someone to place it there and to bribe someone. The differences in class and financial need between them show how Dorian hasn’t dealt with the consequences of his actions and perhaps has never fully considered the damage that they might have had on other people whilst Sethe has had to pay for it going to prison and dealing with it every day.