Essay, Research Paper: Theme Of Healing In Beloved

Healing in Beloved


The theme of "healing" is ever present in the novel, Beloved by Toni Morrison. Many
forms of "healing" take place, with many different characters undergoing the "healing"
process. These forms of "healing" range from healing personal conflicts from within, to
healing as a community, and by overcoming individual prejudices. I feel that the
overcoming of individual prejudices is one of the most important aspects of this novel.
Throughout the story, Sethe (the main character) has many encounters with a variety of
people. These encounters leave a definite impression on her, which is why I think that
Sethe does the most "healing," both from within and by overcoming her own prejudices.
The meeting of Sethe and Amy Denver is the focal point of Sethe's "healing." This takes
place when Sethe (being pregnant) is a slave on the run and goes into labor. She meets
Amy Denver, an indentured servant who is leaving to Boston. At first, Amy doesn't seem
that she wants to help Sethe because of her skin color, while Sethe isn't too trusting of
Amy's white skin. Sethe later states, "You don't know how they'll jump. Say one thing do
another"(Morrison 77). This kind of distrust is present in Sethe when she tells Amy that her
name is "Lu." The combination of Amy's nonchalant attitude, and Sethe's distrust displays
the prejudices of society at the time.

As Sethe and Amy converse, Sethe realizes that Amy is unlike any other white person she
has ever met. After Amy tells Sethe about her situation, and that she was also beaten by
her "employer," Sethe realizes that not all whites were the slave owners, but in fact some
were indentured servants. Amy then begins to massage Sethe's swollen feet, and says,
"More it hurt, more better it is. Can't nothing heal without pain, you know" (Morrison 78). I
think that at that point Sethe begins build trust towards trust Amy. Amy then goes and
finds spiderwebs to heal Sethe's bleeding back, which displays Amy showing a little
compassion and trust towards Sethe. As Amy again massages Sethe's feet, the reader
begins to feel like they are no longer just black and white, but actual people that have
feelings. I think that Morrison wants the reader to get this feeling that people are people
and not property. I feel Amy agrees with this, but at the same time the prejudices in the
society that she has grown up in makes her say things like, "She don't know nothing, just
like you. You don't know a thing" (Morrison 80). Another example of how prejudices are
intertwined with society, is the constant use of Sethe calling Amy "miss" throughout the
passage. This relays a sort of cultural boundary, the fact that Amy can call Sethe by her
first name but Sethe resorts to acting formally towards her.
The actual delivery of Sethe's child is the climax to the "healing" of Sethe's own
prejudices. Amy helps Sethe deliver the baby and with no hesitation, "Push!," screamed
Amy (Morrison 84). Amy no longer thinks of herself as being different from Sethe, which
overcomes some of her own prejudices. At that point, Amy just sees Sethe as a person
who needs help and not a runaway slave that should be left alone. The line, "A pateroller
passing would have sniggered to see two throw-away people, two lawless outlaws--a slave
and a barefoot whitewoman with unpinned hair--wrapping a ten-minute-old baby in the
rags they wore"(Morrison 84-85), better illustrates the bonding that has
taken place. The conclusion to this incident was the naming of Sethe's child, which was
aptly named, Denver. For Sethe to name her own daughter, (after killing her first because
she didn't want her to grow up into slavery) after a whitewoman was a sign of "healing"
that had taken place during that night. Sethe would now have a different opinion about
white people, not to say that it would be that much different, but it definitely had changed
it.

In this novel Beloved, we see the "healing" that takes place within the individual. It is not a
physical type of healing, but more of a psychological healing. This change, or healing may
look insignificant, but to the individual (in this case Sethe) they have a new outlook on
things. They have overcome a certain barrier and now can function in a new way of
thinking. From that point on Sethe doesn't see all white people as devils, nor does she trust
all of them, but by having Amy Denver help deliver her baby and thus bonding, she knows
that there are many different people with different ways of behaving. I think that there are
many other types of "healing" that occur in this novel, but I feel that if Sethe and Amy can
overcome their own personal prejudices from a chance meeting, then this would be the
most significant "healing" in this novel.