In Beloved , Toni Morrison has colors play a role throughout the book. Describe the role of each color and discuss its significance throug...
Friday, April 8, 2016
Finding freedom
“Freeing yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” Choose one character from Beloved and discuss the ways in which he or she achieves the goal of “claiming ownership of that freed self.”
One character that I would have to say claims ownership in "Beloved" is Denver. In my opinion Denver experiences the most positive growth of any character in this whole novel. Denver grows through all of the problems she has had to put up with her whole life and survives them all. When the reader first meets Denver, they see that she is emotionally distressed because she suffers from loneliness, which she blames her mother for. Denver transforms drastically with the departure and the loss of her brothers and Baby Suggs, which causes her to become isolated and self-centered. Denver explains that she hates living at 124 because no one ever comes there, or speaks to them and because of the wrongdoings of her mother. Though, when Beloved leaves and Sethe begins to deteriorate metaphorically, Denver chooses to better herself and becomes a strong independent woman by the end of the novel because she conquers her problems! In all honesty I was so happy for Denver because she deserved better and finally freed herself from 124.
I totally agree with Sarah and I felt very proud of Denver when she realized that Sethe had never and was never going to claim ownership of her daughter as the mother figure Denver needed. Denver deciding to take her life into her own hands by accepting the past for what it was and trying to shape her future was a huge stepping stone. Denver "claims ownership of her freed self" when she sets aside the stigmas people in the community have about her family and leaves the gates of 124 to seek help and set the word straight about what was really going on with Sethe at 124. One way she does this is trying to find work so that she can provide for herself which shows her independence.
It’s hard to find a character in Beloved that really “claims ownership of that freed self.” When Sethe was freed, her main focus in the world was protecting her children. That did not involve taking care of herself and moving on with her life. She constantly flashes back to what it was life during slavery, which made her stuck in the same place. Although Sethe was technically “freed,” the slavery was always part of her life. When Beloved left Sethe she kept saying “She was my best thing,” but Paul D was trying to make her realize she was important too (Morrison 321). Paul D tried to tell Sethe, “You your best thing, Sethe. You are” (Morrison 322). Sethe never had a true sense of self since the only thing she ever cared about was protecting those she loved. This is why I would have to agree with Sarah when she says that Denver is the character that “claims ownership of that freed self.” In the beginning of the novel, Denver was a lonely girl who was isolated from the world. Yet, in the end the becomes her own person, who is not stuck to her mother’s side. She finds her place in the world and finally seems happy.
Baby Suggs was a character that claimed ownership over her freed self. When she arrived in Cincinnati on that wagon all she had left to give was her heart. She opened a post station, or at least lived there and people came and went as they pleased. They stayed for awhile, talked, left messages and took off their shoes because Baby Suggs took that heart of hers and stretched it out to a home. She claimed ownership of herself everyday in that Clearing where she preached and everyday she hosted someone in her home. But freeing yourself is a hard thing, and when the people rejected her after Sethe's deed, slavery may as well have reclaimed her that day.
It’s hard to find a character who claimed ownership of their freedom however Denver appears to be the best example of this. As Steph wrote, Sethe was technically freed but she was haunted by the memory and never claimed her freedom, but Denver however grew into herself. Early on she was a young innocent child plagued with loneliness and a death filled life which she needed to overcome. By the end of the novel Denver was sharing her own thoughts and beliefs, and had persisted through all the struggles she had faced as the story progressed.
I agree with Steph in that it is hard to actually pinpoint a character that “claims ownership of that freed self.” I especially feel like it is very hard to pinpoint this with Sethe because when Sethe was freed, her main focus in the world was protecting her children and she did not really pay much mind to anything else besides that. Instead of really protecting and taking care of herself, she put all her mind and soul to protecting her kids. In my opinion I feel as though that this caused her to struggle claiming ownership of herself. Granted, at the end of the novel when Beloved is driven away, it is still hard to say if in the moment Sethe really claimed ownership of herself because her past is so overpowering to her present that she many never claim ownership of her freedom
I agree with Steph when she said that Denver is truly the character that “claims ownership of that freed self.” Although Sethe freed herself from slavery, she was chained to the well-being of her kids as her maternal instinct always kicked in to protect them. She was never really freed of herself or focused on herself. Denver, at the beginning of the novel was a very lonely girl with no clue as to how the world really was, as she was confined to 124. However, by the end of the novel Denver, truly created her own persona and discovered herself. She made something of herself.
I believe that Denver has claimed ownership of her freed self because at the beginning of the novel, she is a quiet and lonely girl. Additionally, she was upset that Beloved had come for Sethe and not her. However, as the story progresses, Denver realizes that she needs to get a job and begins to live without the help of Sethe. She even gets help to save her mother from Beloved and uncovers the world outside of 124. As Denver claims ownership of herself, she is able to protect her mother from Beloved who acts like a parasite throughout the novel.
If I had to pinpoint a character who accepts ownership of their freed self it would be Denver, not Sethe. We follow Sethe through an attempt at freedom. She escapes Sweet Home but ultimately kills her daughter and can never be freed. Although I can agree that as Beloveds rememory is exiled from 124, it could make Sethe feel more free, there is not nessesarily enough proof to say that. I chose Denver because she begins as an innocent child, following the thoughts of her own mother because that’s all she new. But she accepts her own freedom as she accepts her own ideas and views. When it is revealed in her stream of consciousness, that is an example of her accepting her own ideas not instilled by her mother. As referenced in the shoes prompt, she puts on a strangers pair of shoes the first time she leaves, which in my opinion represents her establishing her own freedom.
Thinking about the word freedom, many people assume it is connected to slavery, or escaping from a dark place in one’s life. However, in my opinion, finding freedom can just be someone finding themselves, growing as a person. The character that fits this description best is Denver. When the book began, the reader could tell what a dark, depressing, isolated place Denver was in, due to her mother’s actions. As the book progressed though, Denver found herself and wanted to make a change. She went out on her own and made herself part of the community. Denver even decided to go and get herself an education. She had grown tremendously from the beginning of the book to the end, personally finding freedom.
One character that claimed ownership of her freed self would be Denver. In the beginning of the novel, Morrison described Denver as a very lonely girl. The only company she had was that of the baby ghost and even the ghost didn't want her. Eventually as Sethe became consumed by Beloved, Denver realized that she needed help. She was not eating and was not getting treated the way she deserved. She finally stepped outside of 124 and reached out for help. Denver even tried to get a job to support herself and Sethe. Personally, I felt very proud of Denver and was pleased to see her character develop throughtout the novel.
As everyone has already stated Denver is a great example of a character claiming ownership of her freed self. Starting off as a lonely girl, we see Denver develop into this strong person, who ends up saving her mothers life. Denver believes her only friend is the ghost baby, who doesn't really like her that much to begin with. When beloved comes to 124, Denver tries to befriend her, but Beloved just want Sethe. Sethe becomes in a way beloved's "slave", and Denver realizes what is happening, and knows it has to stop. Denver towards the end does all she can to help Sethe, by getting rid of beloved, and trying to get a job to support the two of them.
I agree with Sarah E. that Denver is one of the characters that really claims her freedom. Throughout the whole novel Denver really struggles with being lonely and becoming her own person, rather she puts a lot of effort into Sethe and Beloved. However, towards the end of the novel when Denver takes her life into her own hands she claims the freedom that she has. Denver makes up her mind to leave 124, to go and speak to people outside of her house, and to even get a job. Denver grows into a mature woman, and frees herself from the binds and hauntings of 124. I saw it as a huge and very important step for Denver when she finally realized that it was up to her to make the most of her life and to start living. Her first steps outside of 124 at the end were symbolic of her claiming that freedom she deserved to experience.
Denver begins to take ownership of her freed self in the novel. She begins the story as a young and innocent girl who never really had anyone to go to. She loved her mother basically out of fear since she killed her sister. She had no idea if her mother would end up doing the same to her. I see Denver as a bridge between the past and present. She holds her mother's past of slavery in her background, but she never experienced it directly. She is the new generation who will never have to experience slavery. She is the new world, and she can take ownership over that. She made herself part of the community to better her life, she even tried to educate herself. She grew so much, and without a doubt she is the one character who is living a free life.
A character that claimed ownership of their freed self would most definitely be Denver. Denver starts off as the stray, lonely child. She was stuck in the mix of her mother’s problems. She was isolated and never left the house. However, when Beloved caused her mother to lose her job and waste away to almost nothing, she bravely took action. She used her freedom to gather people to help save her mother from Beloved’s evil spirit. It is this group that actually gets Beloved to disappear. Denver is a crucial character because if she didn’t take action, more damage could of been done and Beloved could still be lurking in 124 causing revenge.
At the conclusion of the novel, it's easy to conclude that Sethe had not claimed ownership of her freed self. Sethe, although freed from slavery, does not own her life. She allows her past to own er life, to consume it, causing her to suffer from the memories of the cruelty she struggled with while enslaved. For this reason, I'd agree that Denver would be the one to have claimed ownership of their free self. She is not faced with the brutalities her mother was, and cannot relate to her harsh past. For this reason, she is a blank slate, and paves the way for the next generation of African Americans. She lets go of her mother's past and sees a future ahead much different than the past of her mother. For this reason, Denver's strength allows her to claim her freedom, and take control of her life.
I believe that Denver has claimed ownership of her freed self because at the beginning of the novel she was quiet and lonely and she was upset at Beloved’s presence. However, as the novel progresses, Denver becomes much more independent. She begins to develop her own personality and grows up throughout the novel. She gets a job and discovers life outside of 124. Additionally, as this sense of individualism develops, she is able to shield Sethe from Beloved’s plague.
I believe that by the end of the novel that Denver is a character who claimed ownership of her freed self. This is because at the end of the novel Denver finds a job and is no longer afraid to leave 124. Also Denver finally forms a meaningful relationship with her mother at the end of Beloved.
For me, Baby Suggs is a character from the book that claimed ownership over her freed self. When Baby Suggs arrived in Cincinnati, she opened up post station. She lived everyday by herself and was satisfied with her life. Baby Suggs claimed ownership of herself everyday when she went to the Clearing everyday and preached and hosted someone in her home she preached and everyday she hosted someone in her home. She was able to go from a slave to living a proper life and that's why I believed she claimed ownership of her free self.
I found this question along with everyone's responses very interesting. The character that stand out to me the most who claimed “ownership of that freed self” is Denver. Like Cassidy said in the beginning Denver was a lonely girl confined in 124 and did not truly understand the world. Towards the end Denver changes and is no longer who she used to portray. Instead she is her own person and knows who she is and what she wants.
I feel that by the end of the novel, Denver is a character who has “claimed ownership of her freed self”. Denver starts as a childish girl who is isolated from the world and very fearful of Sethe. She never experiences the outside world and hates being cooped up in 124 which she believes is her mother's fault. After Beloved leaves their home, Denver loses her childish characteristics and starts to fend for herself. Denver finds a job and relies on herself for support and to be independent.
Denver, it seems, is the only character able to break free from the realm of ownership and enslavement. Her independent personality and determination sparked an interest in readers. She wasn't afraid to speak up and state the truth; she was a lonely girl on 124 due to the haunting her mother had caused. Once she was able to move on from 124, she started her own life and moved on. Yet, it is inferred that everyone else in the novel remained in the world they were in.
I think that Stamp Paid is a character who achieves the goal of “claiming ownership of his freed self.” Stamp Paid, originally a slave, chose to work as a guide to help enslaved African Americans escape the horrors of slave life. Stamp Paid could have lived a simple life following his emancipation, but instead he chose to work as an agent for the Underground Railroad. He subsequently claimed ownership of his freed self, and helped others live a better life in the process.
Although many characters try to achieve freedom in the novel, the one character who successfully finds it is Denver. Throughout her entire life, she has been trapped by the mistakes that Sethe made in her past. She was the one person who always stood besides Sethe and her freedom is a pivotal point in her life. Sethe was freed from slavery, but Denver was confined to her life at 124. She was alone with Sethe for most of her life and she was a lonely child. When she leaves at the end, the freedom that she receives is well deserved. She rids herself of Sethe and her past (Beloved) and is able to stand on her own.
One character from Beloved that comes the closest to achieving the goal of “claiming ownership of that freed self” is Denver. Even though Sethe was physically freed, she never will recovery from the psychological traumas of slavery. This is prevalent in her present actions throughout the novel. Therefore I do not think that Sethe will ever completely free herself from the hardships she has faced in her past. Even when Beloved is exiled, I believe her traumatic past still puts an overbearing weight on her. Therefore, Denver would be the character that best fits the description of owning their freedom. In chapter 22, we are given the stream of consciousness from Denver. She reveals to us that he youth was consumed of fear of her mother and hope for the father Halle to come back. By the end of the novel, Denver overcomes all the hardships presented to her and becomes independent of her mother, finding her own happiness and accepting her freedom.
I believe at the end of the novel Sethe was the one who finally claimed ownership of herself. After escaping sweet home and making it to 124, she was only free until she killed Beloved. During all of the years in between Beloved's death and her return as a human, Sethe did not accept her freedom because of guilt. Then, when she thought she could be free because she had Beloved by her side once again, she was trapped by Beloved's love-filled, spiteful relationship. Once Beloved was finally gone for good, Sethe was able to finally accept her past and move on to be truly free for the first time in her life.
I agree with those who felt that Denver was one of the strongest characters who “claimed ownership of that freed self.” This is most notably showcased when Denver musters up the courage to leave 124 and seek help. I feel as though she is the only character who is truly free. For example, Sethe is no longer a slave but is held back by her own fear. In contrast, Denver evolves from her former state of being controlled by fear. She realizes that she can no longer stand aside and watch her mother die before her eyes. Her connection with Sethe drifted apart, but she was responsible for the overall exorcism of Beloved because she took ownership of her life.
I felt that Baby Suggs "claimed ownership of that freed self." After Baby Suggs was bought free by Halle, she took advantage of a free life and wanted to improve herself and the community. She took in those that needed help and preached at the Clearing to the other slaves. Suggs provided food and a sense of community to Cincinnati. This is why when Denver went around asking for help, everyone had so much respect for Baby Suggs that they were willing to overlook Sethe's mistake.
Baby Suggs was a character within the novel who really achieved the goal of owning her freedom. Although she had been a slave for the majority of her life and was only freed as a result of Halle’s work when she was old, Baby Suggs was able to enjoy her freedom as much as she could. She did not seem to be so concerned with the past as Sethe is during the events of the book. Once she was free, Baby Suggs dedicated her time helping others in the community. She was a priestess, a cobbler; she offered her home as a safe place for those in need and as a happy gathering place. Because she focused so much on giving back to the world instead of on what the world had done to her, Baby Suggs was able to really claim her freedom and become a well-respected member of the society that she lived in.
Denver found her freedom and she claimed it too. She had always felt a degree of neglect from Sethe, she wanted attention because she was lonely. She longed to be close to Beloved because she had never had anyone to herself before, and it worked for a while. By the end of the book, even Paul D. notices the change in Denver. The author tells how surprised Paul D. is to see how confident and radiant Denver became. Over time she began to develop her self identity, trying to leave her past a little out of her life.
While Denver never frees herself of ownership since she was never a slave, I believe it is plausible to say Denver “claims ownership of her freed self” by relinquishing herself from her mother’s troubled past. Denver’s independence and growth is very evident from the first time we meet her through the end of the novel. The reader gets to watch Denver’s former quiet self blossom into a woman that heroically saves her mother from the burdens of the past. While some argue that Sethe “claims ownership of her freed self” because she was literally freed of the chains that locked her into laborious slavery life, I feel this is a stretch because Sethe never breaks free of the memories and ties to slavery that bind her with the past. By the end of the novel, she has made little growth, and is left with the same pain she endured as a slave. It can be assumed that Beloved’s leaving is Sethe’s way of claiming ownership of her life, but the novel ends before this can be proven.
Even though Denver was never a slave, I believe she is the best example in the book as a character that sets herself free. As a child, Denver showed promising characteristics, but when she discovered what her mother had done to Beloved and planned to due to her, she lost her innocence and her personality changed. Denver became isolated and self-centered. Even as a young adult, her attitude is childlike, which shows how Sethe's inability to escape her past has frozen both her and her daughters in time. Beloved, is dead and remains forever a child haunting their house, and Denver, lives as a perpetual child, never leaving her own yard. When Beloved takes over as the controlling presence in 124 and starts to consume Sethe, Denver takes it upon herself to save her mother and the family's survival. This is how Denver is able to leave Sethe's world and start her own life in the real world. By the end of the novel, Denver is a mature young woman who has become a part of the community and has a sense of self as well as a future that is not plagued by her mother's past.
One character that I would have to say claims ownership in "Beloved" is Denver. In my opinion Denver experiences the most positive growth of any character in this whole novel. Denver grows through all of the problems she has had to put up with her whole life and survives them all. When the reader first meets Denver, they see that she is emotionally distressed because she suffers from loneliness, which she blames her mother for. Denver transforms drastically with the departure and the loss of her brothers and Baby Suggs, which causes her to become isolated and self-centered. Denver explains that she hates living at 124 because no one ever comes there, or speaks to them and because of the wrongdoings of her mother. Though, when Beloved leaves and Sethe begins to deteriorate metaphorically, Denver chooses to better herself and becomes a strong independent woman by the end of the novel because she conquers her problems! In all honesty I was so happy for Denver because she deserved better and finally freed herself from 124.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Sarah and I felt very proud of Denver when she realized that Sethe had never and was never going to claim ownership of her daughter as the mother figure Denver needed. Denver deciding to take her life into her own hands by accepting the past for what it was and trying to shape her future was a huge stepping stone. Denver "claims ownership of her freed self" when she sets aside the stigmas people in the community have about her family and leaves the gates of 124 to seek help and set the word straight about what was really going on with Sethe at 124. One way she does this is trying to find work so that she can provide for herself which shows her independence.
DeleteIt’s hard to find a character in Beloved that really “claims ownership of that freed self.” When Sethe was freed, her main focus in the world was protecting her children. That did not involve taking care of herself and moving on with her life. She constantly flashes back to what it was life during slavery, which made her stuck in the same place. Although Sethe was technically “freed,” the slavery was always part of her life. When Beloved left Sethe she kept saying “She was my best thing,” but Paul D was trying to make her realize she was important too (Morrison 321). Paul D tried to tell Sethe, “You your best thing, Sethe. You are” (Morrison 322). Sethe never had a true sense of self since the only thing she ever cared about was protecting those she loved. This is why I would have to agree with Sarah when she says that Denver is the character that “claims ownership of that freed self.” In the beginning of the novel, Denver was a lonely girl who was isolated from the world. Yet, in the end the becomes her own person, who is not stuck to her mother’s side. She finds her place in the world and finally seems happy.
ReplyDeleteBaby Suggs was a character that claimed ownership over her freed self. When she arrived in Cincinnati on that wagon all she had left to give was her heart. She opened a post station, or at least lived there and people came and went as they pleased. They stayed for awhile, talked, left messages and took off their shoes because Baby Suggs took that heart of hers and stretched it out to a home. She claimed ownership of herself everyday in that Clearing where she preached and everyday she hosted someone in her home. But freeing yourself is a hard thing, and when the people rejected her after Sethe's deed, slavery may as well have reclaimed her that day.
ReplyDeleteIt’s hard to find a character who claimed ownership of their freedom however Denver appears to be the best example of this. As Steph wrote, Sethe was technically freed but she was haunted by the memory and never claimed her freedom, but Denver however grew into herself. Early on she was a young innocent child plagued with loneliness and a death filled life which she needed to overcome. By the end of the novel Denver was sharing her own thoughts and beliefs, and had persisted through all the struggles she had faced as the story progressed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steph in that it is hard to actually pinpoint a character that “claims ownership of that freed self.” I especially feel like it is very hard to pinpoint this with Sethe because when Sethe was freed, her main focus in the world was protecting her children and she did not really pay much mind to anything else besides that. Instead of really protecting and taking care of herself, she put all her mind and soul to protecting her kids. In my opinion I feel as though that this caused her to struggle claiming ownership of herself. Granted, at the end of the novel when Beloved is driven away, it is still hard to say if in the moment Sethe really claimed ownership of herself because her past is so overpowering to her present that she many never claim ownership of her freedom
ReplyDeleteI agree with Steph when she said that Denver is truly the character that “claims ownership of that freed self.” Although Sethe freed herself from slavery, she was chained to the well-being of her kids as her maternal instinct always kicked in to protect them. She was never really freed of herself or focused on herself. Denver, at the beginning of the novel was a very lonely girl with no clue as to how the world really was, as she was confined to 124. However, by the end of the novel Denver, truly created her own persona and discovered herself. She made something of herself.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Denver has claimed ownership of her freed self because at the beginning of the novel, she is a quiet and lonely girl. Additionally, she was upset that Beloved had come for Sethe and not her. However, as the story progresses, Denver realizes that she needs to get a job and begins to live without the help of Sethe. She even gets help to save her mother from Beloved and uncovers the world outside of 124. As Denver claims ownership of herself, she is able to protect her mother from Beloved who acts like a parasite throughout the novel.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to pinpoint a character who accepts ownership of their freed self it would be Denver, not Sethe. We follow Sethe through an attempt at freedom. She escapes Sweet Home but ultimately kills her daughter and can never be freed. Although I can agree that as Beloveds rememory is exiled from 124, it could make Sethe feel more free, there is not nessesarily enough proof to say that. I chose Denver because she begins as an innocent child, following the thoughts of her own mother because that’s all she new. But she accepts her own freedom as she accepts her own ideas and views. When it is revealed in her stream of consciousness, that is an example of her accepting her own ideas not instilled by her mother. As referenced in the shoes prompt, she puts on a strangers pair of shoes the first time she leaves, which in my opinion represents her establishing her own freedom.
ReplyDeleteThinking about the word freedom, many people assume it is connected to slavery, or escaping from a dark place in one’s life. However, in my opinion, finding freedom can just be someone finding themselves, growing as a person. The character that fits this description best is Denver. When the book began, the reader could tell what a dark, depressing, isolated place Denver was in, due to her mother’s actions. As the book progressed though, Denver found herself and wanted to make a change. She went out on her own and made herself part of the community. Denver even decided to go and get herself an education. She had grown tremendously from the beginning of the book to the end, personally finding freedom.
ReplyDeleteOne character that claimed ownership of her freed self would be Denver. In the beginning of the novel, Morrison described Denver as a very lonely girl. The only company she had was that of the baby ghost and even the ghost didn't want her. Eventually as Sethe became consumed by Beloved, Denver realized that she needed help. She was not eating and was not getting treated the way she deserved. She finally stepped outside of 124 and reached out for help. Denver even tried to get a job to support herself and Sethe. Personally, I felt very proud of Denver and was pleased to see her character develop throughtout the novel.
ReplyDeleteAs everyone has already stated Denver is a great example of a character claiming ownership of her freed self. Starting off as a lonely girl, we see Denver develop into this strong person, who ends up saving her mothers life. Denver believes her only friend is the ghost baby, who doesn't really like her that much to begin with. When beloved comes to 124, Denver tries to befriend her, but Beloved just want Sethe. Sethe becomes in a way beloved's "slave", and Denver realizes what is happening, and knows it has to stop. Denver towards the end does all she can to help Sethe, by getting rid of beloved, and trying to get a job to support the two of them.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sarah E. that Denver is one of the characters that really claims her freedom. Throughout the whole novel Denver really struggles with being lonely and becoming her own person, rather she puts a lot of effort into Sethe and Beloved. However, towards the end of the novel when Denver takes her life into her own hands she claims the freedom that she has. Denver makes up her mind to leave 124, to go and speak to people outside of her house, and to even get a job. Denver grows into a mature woman, and frees herself from the binds and hauntings of 124. I saw it as a huge and very important step for Denver when she finally realized that it was up to her to make the most of her life and to start living. Her first steps outside of 124 at the end were symbolic of her claiming that freedom she deserved to experience.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteDenver begins to take ownership of her freed self in the novel. She begins the story as a young and innocent girl who never really had anyone to go to. She loved her mother basically out of fear since she killed her sister. She had no idea if her mother would end up doing the same to her. I see Denver as a bridge between the past and present. She holds her mother's past of slavery in her background, but she never experienced it directly. She is the new generation who will never have to experience slavery. She is the new world, and she can take ownership over that. She made herself part of the community to better her life, she even tried to educate herself. She grew so much, and without a doubt she is the one character who is living a free life.
A character that claimed ownership of their freed self would most definitely be Denver. Denver starts off as the stray, lonely child. She was stuck in the mix of her mother’s problems. She was isolated and never left the house. However, when Beloved caused her mother to lose her job and waste away to almost nothing, she bravely took action. She used her freedom to gather people to help save her mother from Beloved’s evil spirit. It is this group that actually gets Beloved to disappear. Denver is a crucial character because if she didn’t take action, more damage could of been done and Beloved could still be lurking in 124 causing revenge.
ReplyDeleteAt the conclusion of the novel, it's easy to conclude that Sethe had not claimed ownership of her freed self. Sethe, although freed from slavery, does not own her life. She allows her past to own er life, to consume it, causing her to suffer from the memories of the cruelty she struggled with while enslaved. For this reason, I'd agree that Denver would be the one to have claimed ownership of their free self. She is not faced with the brutalities her mother was, and cannot relate to her harsh past. For this reason, she is a blank slate, and paves the way for the next generation of African Americans. She lets go of her mother's past and sees a future ahead much different than the past of her mother. For this reason, Denver's strength allows her to claim her freedom, and take control of her life.
ReplyDeleteI believe that Denver has claimed ownership of her freed self because at the beginning of the novel she was quiet and lonely and she was upset at Beloved’s presence. However, as the novel progresses, Denver becomes much more independent. She begins to develop her own personality and grows up throughout the novel. She gets a job and discovers life outside of 124. Additionally, as this sense of individualism develops, she is able to shield Sethe from Beloved’s plague.
ReplyDeleteI believe that by the end of the novel that Denver is a character who claimed ownership of her freed self. This is because at the end of the novel Denver finds a job and is no longer afraid to leave 124. Also Denver finally forms a meaningful relationship with her mother at the end of Beloved.
ReplyDeleteFor me, Baby Suggs is a character from the book that claimed ownership over her freed self. When Baby Suggs arrived in Cincinnati, she opened up post station. She lived everyday by herself and was satisfied with her life. Baby Suggs claimed ownership of herself everyday when she went to the Clearing everyday and preached and hosted someone in her home she preached and everyday she hosted someone in her home. She was able to go from a slave to living a proper life and that's why I believed she claimed ownership of her free self.
ReplyDeleteI found this question along with everyone's responses very interesting. The character that stand out to me the most who claimed “ownership of that freed self” is Denver. Like Cassidy said in the beginning Denver was a lonely girl confined in 124 and did not truly understand the world. Towards the end Denver changes and is no longer who she used to portray. Instead she is her own person and knows who she is and what she wants.
ReplyDeleteI feel that by the end of the novel, Denver is a character who has “claimed ownership of her freed self”. Denver starts as a childish girl who is isolated from the world and very fearful of Sethe. She never experiences the outside world and hates being cooped up in 124 which she believes is her mother's fault. After Beloved leaves their home, Denver loses her childish characteristics and starts to fend for herself. Denver finds a job and relies on herself for support and to be independent.
ReplyDeleteDenver, it seems, is the only character able to break free from the realm of ownership and enslavement. Her independent personality and determination sparked an interest in readers. She wasn't afraid to speak up and state the truth; she was a lonely girl on 124 due to the haunting her mother had caused. Once she was able to move on from 124, she started her own life and moved on. Yet, it is inferred that everyone else in the novel remained in the world they were in.
ReplyDeleteI think that Stamp Paid is a character who achieves the goal of “claiming ownership of his freed self.” Stamp Paid, originally a slave, chose to work as a guide to help enslaved African Americans escape the horrors of slave life. Stamp Paid could have lived a simple life following his emancipation, but instead he chose to work as an agent for the Underground Railroad. He subsequently claimed ownership of his freed self, and helped others live a better life in the process.
ReplyDeleteAlthough many characters try to achieve freedom in the novel, the one character who successfully finds it is Denver. Throughout her entire life, she has been trapped by the mistakes that Sethe made in her past. She was the one person who always stood besides Sethe and her freedom is a pivotal point in her life. Sethe was freed from slavery, but Denver was confined to her life at 124. She was alone with Sethe for most of her life and she was a lonely child. When she leaves at the end, the freedom that she receives is well deserved. She rids herself of Sethe and her past (Beloved) and is able to stand on her own.
ReplyDeleteOne character from Beloved that comes the closest to achieving the goal of “claiming ownership of that freed self” is Denver. Even though Sethe was physically freed, she never will recovery from the psychological traumas of slavery. This is prevalent in her present actions throughout the novel. Therefore I do not think that Sethe will ever completely free herself from the hardships she has faced in her past. Even when Beloved is exiled, I believe her traumatic past still puts an overbearing weight on her. Therefore, Denver would be the character that best fits the description of owning their freedom. In chapter 22, we are given the stream of consciousness from Denver. She reveals to us that he youth was consumed of fear of her mother and hope for the father Halle to come back. By the end of the novel, Denver overcomes all the hardships presented to her and becomes independent of her mother, finding her own happiness and accepting her freedom.
ReplyDeleteI believe at the end of the novel Sethe was the one who finally claimed ownership of herself. After escaping sweet home and making it to 124, she was only free until she killed Beloved. During all of the years in between Beloved's death and her return as a human, Sethe did not accept her freedom because of guilt. Then, when she thought she could be free because she had Beloved by her side once again, she was trapped by Beloved's love-filled, spiteful relationship. Once Beloved was finally gone for good, Sethe was able to finally accept her past and move on to be truly free for the first time in her life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with those who felt that Denver was one of the strongest characters who “claimed ownership of that freed self.” This is most notably showcased when Denver musters up the courage to leave 124 and seek help. I feel as though she is the only character who is truly free. For example, Sethe is no longer a slave but is held back by her own fear. In contrast, Denver evolves from her former state of being controlled by fear. She realizes that she can no longer stand aside and watch her mother die before her eyes. Her connection with Sethe drifted apart, but she was responsible for the overall exorcism of Beloved because she took ownership of her life.
ReplyDeleteI felt that Baby Suggs "claimed ownership of that freed self." After Baby Suggs was bought free by Halle, she took advantage of a free life and wanted to improve herself and the community. She took in those that needed help and preached at the Clearing to the other slaves. Suggs provided food and a sense of community to Cincinnati. This is why when Denver went around asking for help, everyone had so much respect for Baby Suggs that they were willing to overlook Sethe's mistake.
ReplyDeleteBaby Suggs was a character within the novel who really achieved the goal of owning her freedom. Although she had been a slave for the majority of her life and was only freed as a result of Halle’s work when she was old, Baby Suggs was able to enjoy her freedom as much as she could. She did not seem to be so concerned with the past as Sethe is during the events of the book. Once she was free, Baby Suggs dedicated her time helping others in the community. She was a priestess, a cobbler; she offered her home as a safe place for those in need and as a happy gathering place. Because she focused so much on giving back to the world instead of on what the world had done to her, Baby Suggs was able to really claim her freedom and become a well-respected member of the society that she lived in.
ReplyDeleteDenver found her freedom and she claimed it too. She had always felt a degree of neglect from Sethe, she wanted attention because she was lonely. She longed to be close to Beloved because she had never had anyone to herself before, and it worked for a while. By the end of the book, even Paul D. notices the change in Denver. The author tells how surprised Paul D. is to see how confident and radiant Denver became. Over time she began to develop her self identity, trying to leave her past a little out of her life.
ReplyDeleteWhile Denver never frees herself of ownership since she was never a slave, I believe it is plausible to say Denver “claims ownership of her freed self” by relinquishing herself from her mother’s troubled past. Denver’s independence and growth is very evident from the first time we meet her through the end of the novel. The reader gets to watch Denver’s former quiet self blossom into a woman that heroically saves her mother from the burdens of the past. While some argue that Sethe “claims ownership of her freed self” because she was literally freed of the chains that locked her into laborious slavery life, I feel this is a stretch because Sethe never breaks free of the memories and ties to slavery that bind her with the past. By the end of the novel, she has made little growth, and is left with the same pain she endured as a slave. It can be assumed that Beloved’s leaving is Sethe’s way of claiming ownership of her life, but the novel ends before this can be proven.
ReplyDeleteEven though Denver was never a slave, I believe she is the best example in the book as a character that sets herself free. As a child, Denver showed promising characteristics, but when she discovered what her mother had done to Beloved and planned to due to her, she lost her innocence and her personality changed. Denver became isolated and self-centered. Even as a young adult, her attitude is childlike, which shows how Sethe's inability to escape her past has frozen both her and her daughters in time. Beloved, is dead and remains forever a child haunting their house, and Denver, lives as a perpetual child, never leaving her own yard. When Beloved takes over as the controlling presence in 124 and starts to consume Sethe, Denver takes it upon herself to save her mother and the family's survival. This is how Denver is able to leave Sethe's world and start her own life in the real world. By the end of the novel, Denver is a mature young woman who has become a part of the community and has a sense of self as well as a future that is not plagued by her mother's past.
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