Welcome to Week Two!

  The theme of names and naming is a very predominant one in both The Bean Trees and Beloved ( as well as through most of Toni Morrison’s novels, Song of Solomon, etc). I found it interesting to see the symbolism and association with names. Also, a theme connected to that of naming itself was that of religion connected to it. In both books, I found that there were subtle underlying connections to religions and/or religious figures themselves. I’m finding that whereas both novels contain similar themes they differ greatly. Personally I find that Beloved is a bit difficult to understand. I have been told that once you get farther into the book begins to make sense. It is taking me a really long time to even get through the beginning of this novel however because I am constantly having to reread things I have just read. It seems as if whenever I think that I understand what is going on I am struck with the realization that no, no I don’t, I just thought that I did. Honestly at times I find this to be rather irritating, and yet at the same time is helps to keep my interest in the book and motivates me to move forward and keep reading in order to grasp what it is that the author is wanting to share. I have read Song of Solomon, which I found to be a very good book, but I am really not sure, at least not yet, whether or not I care much for this novel. I think that there is a lot more to Beloved to be offered that will be missed due to the time constraints placed upon us. I personally feel that literature such as Beloved should be studied with more time allotted so as to better understand and appreciate to the fullest all it has to offer.

The book Beloved gives us a whole new prospective of family. It is unlike the families in the Bean Trees or any other family situation we have discussed thus far. These families are in subhuman situations and rarely can last because of their environment. Sometimes, women in the story are forced to physically form a new family for the profit of the plantation owner, and in some cases, women even have to nurse children that are not theirs. Also, parts of families are sold to different plantations, while others are not. I was surprised that they even tried to form “normal” families because of the conditions they faced. I cannot even fathom the situation that Sethe had to be in to do what she did. I honestly believe she did it out of love and care for her kids, even though it may seem like it was done during a period of insanity.

I haven't started reading Beloved yet so I will continue on with the Bean Trees. I read this book when I was in 10th grade and found it very appealing. I loved it more then but I think that is because I have read more of Barbara Kingsolver's books since then. Her style of writing is incridible and amazing. The sequal to the Bean Trees is Pigs In Heaven. I absolulty adored this book as much as The BeAn Trees. if anyone loves her, read this book!!! She is an amazing author.

Family is important to the characters in Beloved in a different way than in the normal view of family. I have noticed that blood relatives aren't as important as links to people by other associations. For example, Sethe's boys have run away from their own mother but her "mother-in-law" has stayed with her even though they are really not related. Also Denver's adoration for Beloved even though she isn't related to her either. Family ties by blood aren't what is important, perhaps because the former slaves were acustomed to losing their family members, it is what you make a family in this book that allows you to be satisfied with what you have.

"Sethe was flattered by Beloved's open, quiet devotion. The same adoration from her daughter (had it been forthcoming) would have annoyed her; made her chill at the thought of having raised a ridiculously dependent child." That's the second paragraph on page 57, and it really made me stop and think. It just seems odd. I mean, I know times are tough, and you have to be tough with them, but to say that Denver's adoration would have "annoyed" her seems a bit odd to me. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

While talking about American families, it is interesting to notice things like dominance, more specifically, patriarchy or matriarchy. In the sit-coms we've been watching and discussing in class, "Family Ties," "The Cosby Show," etc..it is pretty clear that "the man of the house" is really that, the man of the house. I'm not saying that the women of these t.v. shows were depicted as subordinate, I just always got the impression that what the male said, went...It's interesting to see then in "The Bean Trees" and "Beloved" that the women of the families presented are the ones who hold the family together, theirs is the role of strength, and the male characters have little or no influence on this family bond...It would be interesting to imagine how "The Bean Trees" and "Beloved" would have played out if men were the central characters.

After yesterday's discussion on The Bean Trees, I got to thinking about the make shift family Taylor had created for herself, and about her relationship with her biological mother. In the beginning of the book we see how much Taylor loves her and how she reacts when she finds out her mother is getting married. However, once Taylor gets her life staightened out in Arizona, I feel like we don't get enough information about her continuing relatioship with her mother. as if she has replaced her with Mattie and friends.

A dominant theme that jumped out at me from Beloved is the idea of sacrifice. I feel that sacrifice is another characteristic of the American Family. From slavery times, through the Great Depression and into modern day, family members have shown how much they love and care for each other through self-sacrifice. Sethe sacrificed much to bring her children into freedom. Although she did lose loved ones along the way, she never gave up determination. Today, parents often go without so that their children can have the best possible, and hopefully children notice and appreciate this.

The one main thing that I enjoy about Beloved is that we learn about the legacy of slavery from Sethe's, Paul D's, Stamp Paid's, and Baby Suggs's point of view rather than that another character. We the reader begin to bond with this family and begin to understand the effects slavery has on them. Sethe gave up everything for her family because she wanted them to know what life was like when they were free.

The situation in which these individuals are obligated to face due to their race is simply terrible. This is the first piece of literature that I've read that has put me in a pespective such as Sethe's or the other characters. This brings a entirely unique family situation to the table that is very much in a category of its own. Beloved has turned out to be a fairly difficult read in regards to character development, but the plot is truly disturbing. I've found it somewhat difficult to translate some of Sethe's exaggerations from reality (e.g. the tree on her back). For the most part I feel that this book is a very interesting look into the life of a slave.

I'm about half way through Beloved right now. It's nice to read a book that gives such a different perspective on family as opposed to The Bean Trees. It's interesting how the flashbacks in Beloved flow with the novel and there is no warning when they will appear. I know that the book has supernatural characteristics and I find it interesting how these characteristics intertwine with the theme of family throughtout the book. Also the characters are very mysterious and it's great how they are slowly revealed throughtout the novel as though they have layers like an onion that are being pealed off one at a time, and through revealing a little about one character we often learn about another. For instance, Paul D. is talking about his life on Sweet Home and Sethe obviously was there too and therefore was a part of his life.