Haunting

Haunting, both literally and metaphorically, is a driving force in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved.” Sethe’s house at 124 Bluestone Rd. is haunted by the ghost of her firstborn daughter, a child that was murdered before the age of two. This haunting serves as a supernatural reminder of one of the most traumatic moments in Sethe’s life, and is also responsible for scaring away her two sons. The ghost’s presence and her two sons’ absence serve as constant reminders of past atrocities. However, these are not the only haunting forces in Sethe’s life. The pain of a life of slavery haunts her constantly.

“After I left you, those boys came in there and took my milk. That’s what they came in there for. Held me down and took it. I told Mrs. Garner on em. She had that lump and couldn’t speak but her eyes rolled out tears. Them boys found out I told on em. Schoolteacher made on open up my back, and when it closed it made a tree. It grows there still.”

 Her disrupted and broken family is a persistent reminder of her past. The scars on her back haunt her, bringing terrible memories back to her mind and the mind of others. This ghostliness drives “Beloved,” creating a tragic tale that feels eerie yet very real.