Beloved. What a strange novel. When I think of Beloved, I think of a twisted web, with thousands of intertwining strands of mysticism, historical fiction, redemption, forgiveness, grief, pain, and so much more. Beloved. What a journey. There are countless directions to take when thinking and blogging about this novel, and I am still trying to figure out where to begin.
Happiness in Beloved seems to be an unattainable dream. Before Paul D came to 124, the future was about "keeping the past at bay," as if the past was a ravenous monster waiting to swallow Sethe up. Paul D does offer Sethe the chance to "make a life", but the unsatisfied past comes back in human form to feed on Sethe's life. I think Beloved almost sucked all the life out of Sethe, and whether Beloved's parasitic presence was caused by her need for vengeance or by her nature, Beloved's character represents powerful truths. It is difficult for anyone to understand Sethe's life, for she experienced horrors that hopefully many will never face. I don't believe that failing to suppress the past cannot be counted as a failure when a person's past is violated with baby's blood, mossy teeth, and a cracking whip. Learning about Sethe's life, I have to wonder if happiness is attainable. I know the ending of Beloved is hopeful, with Denver liberating herself and her town, Paul D's return, and Sethe's realization that she is "her own best thing." Still, picking up the pieces after such terror and pain seems impossible, and I can see how easy it would be to let your heart die, and simply try to fight off pain, rather than put it to rest. Perhaps happiness is a journey, and achieving happiness is a learning process. Sethe seemed content to live out her life, constantly shoving her past down, until Paul D arrived and changed everything. Perhaps we should not be content. "Something coming back from the dead hurts", and maybe we shouldn't shy away from this pain. Maybe we should, "let the monsters see [us] smile, let them see [us] smiling" (Vega4Life). Happiness can be found, but finding it is not always easy; we must persist.
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I agree with your "image" of the web as symbolic of the telling of this story. Great use of pregnant phrases throughout this entry. Kafka states that, "Above all else, avoid complacency." Perhaps, as you say, we should not be content.
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