124 was disremembered. A house encompassing the spirit of a baby ghost falls short of being a home full of new memories and joyous experiences. Instead, time stands still as its inhabitants dwell upon the past. Sethe is stuck in the rememory of her baby Beloved in hopes of keeping her image alive, while Denver is trapped by 124's false promise of security and company. The outside intruder, Paul D, sees Beloved for what she is, for she is a figment of Sethe's and Denvers rememory and lack of acceptance of the past. It is as though 124 is a tear in the fabric of time; while life is forever changing outside the walls of 124, the inside remains unchanged.
In regards to my big question, "to what degree does chronological age influence who we are?", Beloved unveils the struggles of coming to terms with the past in order to move past internal entrapment of a specific time. If Denver's age were not specified, readers would be inclined to believe she is a child in the ways she gets lonely in absence of Beloved and Sethe. Strangely enough, grasping on to the past holds Denver back from maturing into an active person of society. Only when Beloved behaves vampire-like does Denver finally leave 124 in search of community and social interaction. The most healthy decisions for Denver was to progress away from a past predisposition of how the outside world is perceived. Only then, did Denver behave her age and assume responsibilities of an adult in society.
In stark contrast, Beloved continues to behave like the unprotected baby she is to Sethe. Beloved only took, even when there was nothing to give. She eats all the food and leaves Sethe with nothing but crumbs at the bottom of the pie pan. Sethe even quit her job to tenderly care for Beloved. Like a baby in the body of a matured woman, Beloved does not know when to stop wanting more. Her rather naive and childish behavior greatly contrasts the body she is put in, for one she even becomes pregnant! Regardless, it is clear that a mindset that dwells on the past only leads to actions that reflect the same.
Although there is a tendency to want to relive the past whether it is tragic or uplifting, the past has a way of creeping into the way we act in the present. Only in the last chapter of Beloved, when 124 and the presence of Beloved became disremembered and unaccounted, did Sethe, Denver, and Paul D begin to move towards constructive mentality of the present. It took Paul D, the only masculine figure, to save Sethe from a fate no different from Baby Suggs. He is the beacon of reality in a home encompassing past memories and feelings. Yes, it is inevitable for the past to change who we are today, but it is only debilitating to live in the present in hopes of it being the past.
In stark contrast, Beloved continues to behave like the unprotected baby she is to Sethe. Beloved only took, even when there was nothing to give. She eats all the food and leaves Sethe with nothing but crumbs at the bottom of the pie pan. Sethe even quit her job to tenderly care for Beloved. Like a baby in the body of a matured woman, Beloved does not know when to stop wanting more. Her rather naive and childish behavior greatly contrasts the body she is put in, for one she even becomes pregnant! Regardless, it is clear that a mindset that dwells on the past only leads to actions that reflect the same.
Although there is a tendency to want to relive the past whether it is tragic or uplifting, the past has a way of creeping into the way we act in the present. Only in the last chapter of Beloved, when 124 and the presence of Beloved became disremembered and unaccounted, did Sethe, Denver, and Paul D begin to move towards constructive mentality of the present. It took Paul D, the only masculine figure, to save Sethe from a fate no different from Baby Suggs. He is the beacon of reality in a home encompassing past memories and feelings. Yes, it is inevitable for the past to change who we are today, but it is only debilitating to live in the present in hopes of it being the past.
