By the end of her second life, Beloved is a replica of her mother Sethe. When dead—or in the “other place”—she even states that she “want[s] [Sethe’s] face.” But once again among the living, she tries choking Sethe in the clearing and removed Paul D. the only basis for sanity and comfort of reason in Sethe’s life. On one side Beloved aspires to goodness and wants to be like Sethe; on the other hand, she commits acts that are vengeful toward the mother who so quickly snuffed out her life. With that, and her many other actions in mind, why does Beloved come back from the “other place?” What are her motivations?
Throughout the novel it appears as if Beloved has two sides to her. One is loving and the other is vengeful. In one aspect, Beloved is motivated to show the mother daughter bond that could exist between them. She wants to be like Sethe, as most daughters look up to their mothers. She also depends on Sethe and craves her attention constantly just like a child does with their mother. Beloved makes Sethe realize what she could have had with her child, if she never killed her.
ReplyDeleteBeloved also becomes very overpowering. She becomes violent and tries choking Sethe. She also drains Sethe of everything she is. Beloved consumes so much of her time, that she eventually loses her job. Food supplies shorten in the house. Sethe gives up what is left to Beloved, causing Beloved to become full, healthy, and beautiful while Sethe wastes away. The purpose of these vengeful actions are to punish Sethe for making the drastic decision to murder her daughter. Beloved wants to emphasize any guilt or regret Sethe may have for killing her baby and also take away the few good things remaining in her life.
I think it could also be to show how Beloved could have prospered if she hadn't been killed and had the chance to grow up with Beloved and Denver. When Beloved returns, she does activities with Denver and Sethe such as going ice skating or playing with Denver like real sisters would. The reader sees glimpses of a nice family life. I think Beloved wants to grow up as if it is a continuance of where she left her original life. She wants that childhood experience and she will not let anything get in the way of that vision she has, such as Paul D. Thinking about how Beloved drains Sethe of all of her energy and time, it could be that Beloved is wearing her out like any child would their mother over the coarse of 18 years. However, because so much time has passed since Beloved died and now she reappears as a girl that looks aged 18 years, she is trying to squeeze those missing 18 years without Sethe into the time she has with her now. Normally, the wear down of a mother who would do anything for her child and provides for her child that would happen over the course of 18 years has been condensed for Beloved and Sethe's relationship.
DeleteMy understanding of Beloved’s life was that she was a ghost the entire time, who came back to haunt Sethe. When Sethe killed Beloved, I don’t think that she ever fully left. Her presence continued to be in that house for years after she died. Beloved coming back as a ghost was a way for Beloved to let Sethe pay for taking away her chance at life. Sethe committed an act that someone with such little intelligence could never understand. All Beloved knows is that her mother abandoned her, putting her in a place where she was all alone. While Sethe did this for her daughter's protection, Beloved never developed enough to fully understand Sethe’s reasoning.
ReplyDeleteMuch as any child when an incomprehensible horrible act happens, and all you know is that its bad, you're left with many questions. I believe Beloved came back because for years in 124 she was trying to remind Sethe that she was not gone and Beloved stated many times that she wanted Sethe to join her in the in-between. When Beloved first comes back, she is content with Sethe's full attention and appreciation, but as Sethe tries to explain herself to her lost daughter, and Beloved comes to understand fully the atrocity of what happened to her, that is when she truly becomes angry and vengeful. Beloved wants Sethe to suffer for what she has done, essentially draining the life out of Sethe, physically, emotionally, and financially. It is not enough for Sethe to be sorry, she must pay. But still inside, Beloved wants Sethe to join her in the in-between, so what cannot be accomplished in the spirit must be accomplished in the flesh. Beloved came back for Sethe and her penance, to take her back into the realm of death with her.
ReplyDeleteBeloved comes back from the "other place" because she wants to show Sethe that she could have easily had a great mother-daughter relationship with her if she did not kill her. She feels like she has been cheated out a life she could have lived regardless of the slavery crisis going on outside of 124. She missed out on her mother's love and attention. Therefore, Beloved is a a crossroads. Does she love her mother and rekindle their relationship, showing Sethe what she missed out on and possibly fix it by aspiring to be good? Or does she make Sethe pay for killing her and reduce her to nothingness, causing her to dwindle into nothing? She wants Sethe's attention, but then she literally tries to strangle her. Therefore, I feel as though Beloved's vengeful side overpowers her side of goodness.
ReplyDeleteAs Sethe’s child, holding access to a mother figure that she never expected to have in her life, Beloved cannot help but express love and happiness at times, however for this same reason she often expresses anger. Beloved was killed by her own mother and missed out of an opportunity most children are usually offered, one she always hoped for. She comes out of her “other place” as top show the two possibilities of her life, and what her life could have been if Sethe were to not have killed her.
ReplyDeleteBeloved came back from “the other place” because she seeked a relationship between her and Sethe. She spent so much time in “the other place” that she did not want to be forgotten about. She spent most of her time as a ghost of 124, but when Paul D entered Sethe’s life, she felt as though that was a distraction from Sethe’s mind always being on Beloved. Beloved hated the idea of this, so she arrived in physical form. Beloved longs for the mother-daughter relationship she should have grown to become familiar with, but she couldn’t experience due to her murder. She came back in hopes to regain some relationship she knew both she and Sethe always wanted. However, she was also vengeful for Sethe’s cruel act towards her, and she wanted Sethe to feel all the pain she felt, as she felt betrayed by her murder. She wanted to consume Sethe entirely. She wanted to take away all of her life, while also feeling like she had a relationship with her. Beloved did this ever so sneakily to get everything she wanted and take everything that Sethe had.
ReplyDeleteI can see that there are two sides to Beloved in her reasoning for returning. In one sense she seems rather innocent. She wants to make a connection with her mother whom she never really had the chance. She is almost proving to her mother that she is worthy and has the ability to create strong family relationships had she not died. For example, she goes skating with Denver and her mom to:create those family ties. She builds up her relationship with Sethe. On the other side, it is more obvious to assume that Beloveds motivation is to seek revenge on Sethe. She comes to the house appearing helpless and weak, automatically being accepted into 124. However, over the course of the novel we see Beloveds intentions progress. She is angry with Sethe for being selfish and killing her. Evidently we know that she overtakes Sethe, demolishing her soul. Therefore we can see how Beloveds reincarnation has multiple motivations.
ReplyDeleteWhen Beloved first comes back from "the other place," she is very loving. She plays with Denver and acts like a nice sister. She seems like a devoted daughter as she waits for Sethe to come home everyday. She wants to prove to herself and to Sethe that she could have been a good daughter. But overtime, she begins to obsess. She forgets about her original plan to seem lovable and eventually turns into a monster. Revenge and spite consumes her and she soon drains all the happiness out of someone who she once thought she loved.
ReplyDeleteBeloved comes back from the “other place” because she starts to see that Sethe is moving on. Selfishly, she doesn’t want Sethe to move on and forget about her because she doesn’t understand why Sethe killed her (to save her from a life of slavery) or truly forgive Sethe for it. So her ghost form leaves, and she returns as a person to receive Sethe’s full attention. This is the vengeful motivation for her return. The more positive motivation she has for returning is to have the life she missed out on with her mother. She only had a life with her for twenty-eight days before her life was taken. Ultimately, however, Beloved, who represents the memories slaves have of their enslavement, haunts Sethe, forcing her to remember all that has happened to her and sucking the life out of her in the end.
ReplyDeleteIts not quite an oedipus complex, but what Ms feel said about beloved two sides, "On one side Beloved aspires to goodness and wants to be like Sethe; on the other hand, she commits acts that are vengeful toward the mother who so quickly snuffed out her life." reminds me a psycho for some reason. Sethe wants to be her mother, but at the same time she hates her because she "murdered" her. Beloved comes back from "the other place" in hopes to see her mother, but at first is still a child with a Childs anger, that comes and goes. As Beloved gets older, her anger grows more dangerous, and is conflicting with the love she longs for from her mother. Her soul motivations are longing a mothers love, and revenge for being murdered by her mother.
ReplyDeleteBeloved comes back from the "other place" to experience what her life would have been like if her mother didn't kill her. She wants to develop a strong relationship with Sethe and almost worships her to a certain extent. However, Beloved also acts vengefully towards Sethe. For example, she attempts to choke her in the clearing and causes Paul D to leave 124. As she asks for more food and grows fatter, Sethe grows mentally and physically weak. Beloved acts in a parasitic fashion throughout the novel and seeks revenge on her mother. If Denver had not notified the community, Sethe could have died at the expense of Beloved.
ReplyDeleteBeloved comes back from the “other place” to get revenge on her mother. Sethe took everything from Beloved so young, and through her odd and hurtful acts toward her mother you can tell. She chokes Sethe in the clearing, probably trying to make her feel the way she did when in “the other place.” Her motivation for her revenge is the fact that Sethe did murder her. She basically wants to make Sethe feel guilty for her actions and makes it troublesome for Sethe in every way possible. Draining the life from Sethe is her punishment for taking away Beloved’s life. At the same time, however, she wanted to have a relationship with Sethe. By taking away the life in her, she felt like she could have a relationship with her. Consuming Sethe’s values, emotions, and even her food is the relationship between them. She tries to become Sethe in every way possible to feel like there is a relationship between them.
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ReplyDeleteI think that Beloved comes back from the “other place” because she honestly and truly wanted a life, family and love. However I think Beloved had believed it would be much easier to achieve these things than it actually was, which led her down a dark path that ultimately turned her into a monster. I think Beloved’s motivations started off as pure, but eventually became dark when she was willing to do anything for Sethe’s attention. She eventually became so absorbed with living that she started sucking life out of those around her. She nearly killed Sethe and drive Paul D mad with all of her advances and actions. Beloved’s ultimate motivation became life, and wanting to make Sethe repent for what she did to her, even if she had originally started out as a sad and lonely girl who had never experienced life.
Beloved seems to have two motivations throughout the novel. One side of her craves the mother daughter bond that she never had an opportunity to experience. She is still Sethe’s daughter and wants an opportunity to experience what her life could have been like. The other side of Beloved however is vengeful. She hates Sethe for murdering her. She feels like she was robbed of her life. Beloved never got to grow up like Sethe's other children. She never got to experience the mother daughter bond that should happen between a mother and a daughter and for that she wants revenge. This is the side of Beloved that tried to strangle Sethe.
ReplyDeleteThere are definitely two sides to be assessed when determining the reason as to why Beloved returned to 124. Like pointed out in previous comments, there is the innocent side that revolves around the idea that Beloved truly hoped to form a mother-daughter relationship she never got to have with Sethe. She had no chance to grow up, to experience life with her family, and out of curiosity she could want to try to form relationships with them. On the other side, she could be acting out of malice, as a way to get back at Sethe for murdering her, not taking into account the reason why. Because of these two possible sides, it causes readers to remain unsure of a concrete motivation for her to come back.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Beloved comes back from the “other place” in order to haunt Sethe and get her revenge. Her presence lingered in the home and when she came back was creating a portal to speak and be with Sethe. Beloved comes back to try and seek revenge such as when she tries to choke Sethe and confuse her with stories that only exist in her own past. Beloved acts like a baby, wearing down Sethe, using their household supplies, and depending on her at every second. Beloved slowly does migrate to becoming Sethe and wants her to feel more pain for killing Beloved even though she did it out of goodness.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Beloved's return from "the other place" was the result of her desire for a relationship with her mother which she never got to experience due to her death. Initially she had good intentions, however, she eventually became vengeful of what her mother did and became a monster. Since she began to feel like what happened to her was unfair as she never got to experience a normal life she begins to hate Sethe, turning her from her intial innocent intentions to much much darker ones.
ReplyDeleteI believe Beloved returned to seek revenge for Sethe killing her. She is angry that she was not able to live a happy life. I believe Beloved never truly left, she was still a ghost the whole time overlooking the family to see what her life would have been like. I agree with Steph, I think Beloved is angry since she never knew why Sethe killed her. To Beloved, is just an act of murder, but to Sethe she was protecting her daughter.
ReplyDeleteBeloved returns to the living world in order to make known that her death was not going to stop her from living a normal life with a mother-daughter relationship. However, her malicious acts show that she was not out to help, but to hurt. Beloved's lack of knowledge and questions unanswered only fuels her fury.
ReplyDeleteThere are two sides of Beloved, just like there is usually two sides to everyone. At first Beloved is very loving and wants to have a strong sisterly relationship with Denver. Beloved wants to show her family what she could have lived up to be. Eventually this all changes for the worse. She begins to obsess over the attention and turns into a monster that is seeking revenge for her life being cut off. Beloved sucks out all good in the house and brings terror to the ones she once loved.
ReplyDeleteBeloved comes back from the “other place” to prove to Sethe that they could have made it through the hardships together and could have even created a great bond. Beloved is spiteful in the fact that her mother took her life away before she even had a chance to grow up and make this bond. Beloved faces mixed motivations when she actually enters the world. I feel as though Beloved returned to this world with good intentions and to gain her mother’s attention and love. However, once she saw that she did not have Sethe to herself, that is when she seeked revenge. I think that Beloved also kept the fact that her own mother murdered her and that thought drives her to seek revenge. Mainly, I feel as though Beloved came from the “other place” to give Sethe an idea of what her life would be like if she did not murder her. However, the more time she spent at 124, the more vengeance built up inside of Beloved, which drove her to seek revenge against her mother.
ReplyDeleteBeloved’s attitude toward Sethe changes drastically as if she cannot make up her mind about her mother. Sometimes she simply craves her mother’s affection and wants to be like her, others she tries to make Sethe suffer and push her to her breaking point. I think that Beloved cannot decide if she was saddened by her murder and simply wants to know what it feels like to have a mother or if she is infuriated that she was murdered for reasons she doesn’t understand. Beloved is a symbol of Sethe’s past come back to haunt her. Beloved’s goodness could be Sethe’s imagination thinking of what it would be like if she had the opportunity to raise her daughter; Beloved’s vengeance could be interpreted as Sethe’s anger towards herself for killing her daughter that is tearing her apart.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the novel, it is obvious that like a child, Beloved yearns for Sethe’s love and attention. This is because she was never able to experience this growing up. She was murdered too early, never able to get to know her mother and find the love that she always wanted. Along with this, Beloved also has a dark side. She wants to ruin Sethe’s life, just as Sethe did to her. Sethe does not deserve to live without any consequences for her actions and Beloved wants her to know that. She wants to suck the life out of her and make her pay for what she did.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Beloved wished for the relationship she never got the opportunity to have. When she first comes back, they ice skate and cuddle in the blankets. Like any daughter, she admires her mother and see's her as a role model. On the other hand she is also conflicted and vengeful because Sethe is the reason she couldn't
ReplyDeletehave a life. It seems like she originally came back for a relationship but then realized that she was being naive and had to get revenge on her. Like Kailyn said, I agree that Beloved also reminds Sethe of a life she missed out on.
Between Beloved's spite and her love (borderline obsession) for Sethe, it seems as though she ultimately came back for two reasons. The first is for the relationship with Sethe that she was never able to have; they were only together for a short time before they were separated, then when they were at 124 together they were only there for 28 days before Sethe killed her. The other, more vengeful reason Beloved came back was to spite Sethe for killing her. From making Paul D leave to choking Sethe to blaming Sethe for her misery, Beloved uses most of her time in human form to belittle and punish Sethe for what she did to her. No matter how hard Sethe tries to justify herself, Beloved keeps reminding Sethe of the pain she felt, and she seems like she's trying to make Sethe feel that pain.
ReplyDeleteBeloved returns from “the other place” with the main motivation to purley make herself known. Beloved’s spirit is present throughout the novel, but it is not until she returns to the real world where she can properly communicate with the other characters. Concerning her motivations to return, I feel as though Beloved could be in internal conflict with herself as a part of her craves the life she could have had, but is overtaken by the motivation to make Stehe pay for what she did. Beloved’s innocence was stripped from her as she never truly got to life her life as a child with her family. We see a part of her that strives for these loving relationships that she never got to experience as Denver, Sethe, and Beloved all went ice skating. Although Beloved craves the motherly connection with Sethe she could never truly have, she is overtaken by her need to seek revenge.
ReplyDeleteI agree with almost everything every person has committed about for this question. Beloved's motives in the beginning of the novel seem unclear because the reader doesn't know who she is. It is not till mid through the book that they see she is composed of a loving but vengeful nature, who comes to 124 as a ghost to get back at Sethe for murdering her as a baby. One could say that Beloved treats Denver with compassion but she really doesn't mind for her because her eyes are on the prize, Sethe. When Beloved tries to kill Sethe by choking her, this is symbolic because this scene mirrors the scene of Sethe killing Beloved. And even though Sethe committed this act in a way to save Beloved it overall drives her to do what she does to Sethe.
ReplyDeleteBeloved's motivations for her actions are initially all bad. She wants revenge. Beloved wants her mother to know that her life was not Sethe's to take. Her intention may have been to protect Beloved, but it still was not right. Her motivation was Sethe's current life. She had a man in her life that offered her stability and clarity, her daughter Denver (even though their relationship was not the best) was able to experience and live her life as a living being. Beloved was jealous, she longed to be a part of the real world. She's torn because as much as she wants her mother to hurt, she wants to be close to her and obtain her love. But, despite her longing to be close to Sethe her need for revenge is stronger. Beloved sucks the energy and the life out of Sethe. Beloved is afraid to face her reality because of how badly she wants what Sethe and Denver have so she copes with vengeance.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Beloved came back from the “other place” wanting to make a mark on the people's lives she’d missed out on for such a long time. Whether that be out of the goodness of her heart, or vengefulness, Beloved did just that. Obviously having a major impact on Sethe, by coming back she showed Sethe that their relationship would’ve been ideal. Even after Denver warned her about loving Sethe, Beloved grew extremely attached to her mother, basically sucking the life out of her. Was this Beloved’s intention? Well, that's up for debate, but Beloved definitely wanted to and succeeded at making an impact when coming back from the space between life and death.
ReplyDeleteBeloved’s motivation behind returning from the “other place” is at first to connect with her mother and makeup for lost time, but eventually turns into a way to taunt her mother and show her the life she missed out on when she murdered Beloved. Beloved seeks love and attention from her mother, but does not cherish this love the way one who had been deprived for so long would. Beloved only wants to soak all the love out of Sethe for herself and leave none for Denver or Paul D. By doing this, Beloved is making up for love she did not have for several years of her life, and she is also intentionally breaking the bonds Sethe has with people around her. Like a child, at first Beloved is dependent on her mother and relies on her for care. As time passes, Beloved grows with power and attempts to use that power to overcome her mother and obtain an “eye for an eye.” While Beloved does look up to her mother, she wants her to feel the same pain she had felt for so long, and will go to crazy measures to inflict that pain. Beloved does wish for a normal family life, but more than anything, she cannot resist getting revenge on those that wronged her and those she envies. Beloved’s physical presence destroys Sethe more than her ghostly figure ever could.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was Beloved's own doing that made her come back from "the other place." I think that Sethe's rememory of Beloved and her guilt of her murder was so strong that it actually pulled Beloved back to the real living world. However, I still think that Beloved had certain motivations once she came back. The two conflicting sides of her are symbolic of the conflicting, misunderstood mother-daughter relationship between Sethe and Beloved. While Sethe knows that the murder of Beloved was the ultimate act of love because she wanted nothing more than to save her daughter from a life of slavery, Beloved only understands it as an act of abandonment and feels like she was cheated out of a real life and a relationship with Sethe. Her motivation to act one moment like a victimized child who wants nothing more than to be like her mom and the next moment show herself off as vengeful and powerful is to wrap Sethe around her finger. She not only preys on Sethe's guilt and makes her feel terrible about what she did, but she also makes Sethe feel powerless by kicking Paul D out and choking Sethe just to save her. This combination makes Sethe putty in Beloved's hands and gives Beloved everything she needs to get stronger and take over Sethe's soul, ensuring that she will never be abandoned again.
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