BELOVED

The slavery, oppression, lifestyle, and torment of the characters in Beloved is far over my head in terms of relation and comprehension. What these characters go through seems to be a roller coaster of emotions and the differences in the types of relationships and how they have come about is unfatheomable in my eyes.pg 156 the chapter is ended with, "Paul D's chest rose and fell, rose and fell under her hand." I see this quote not as the physical interpretation of the moment being spoken of, but in my stretched opinion, an interpretation of what the novel is and what the characters go through. Throughout the novel there is always a false sense of hope; something prosperous that could be just around the corner. In terms of my life and what I consider to be hope and prosperity, this novel does not relate to. Obviously not,because of the grim reality of the situation that these characters have gone through, and the truly horrid tribulations the characters have faced throughout their lives. Anyways, back to what I was saying about hope, or hope as far as this novel goes, it is always just around the corner. Whether it be the hope of Paul D and Sethe at the carnival of finally coming to happiness, and that hope being broken by Beloved; or the hope when Sethe and Paul D come frollicking home like little kids only to the dismay of Paul D, to be welcomed by his favorite obstacle, Beloved. My point being that hope seems to be an intangible throughout this novel. Whether it be the hope that Sethe is finally free, only to be found by schoolteacher, and questionably attempt to murder her children to save them; or the hope for Denver that Beloved is finally someone Denver can rely on in her life, only to realize that Beloved is completely intent on stealing every bit of Sethe's attention as possible. It is a grim outlook on this captivating story, yet very true in my mind when I look back on the novel. Hope is around every corner only to be shattered around every corner. Something I can only reflect on, but not relate to.