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Natalia Donlan

Mrs. Balka

IB English

2020 February 17

Beloved Essay

Within Toni Morrison’s Beloved, the author works to convey the importance of

community due to its ability to unify and shape identities through the usage of detail to showcase

the positive shift of character as a result of accepting aid, repetition to emphasize the strength in

unification, and symbolism to highlight such benefits in communal organization.

Morrison begins to introduce the beneficial effects when exposed to a strong community

when utilizing detail. Her character, Denver, had within the story been depicted to have child-

like qualities, exemplifying a shy and vulnerable girl despite her mature age. Yet as the story

developed, Denver is demonstrated to have experienced a personal growth, as she now is

described to have “inaugurated her life in the world as a woman” (292). The usage of the word

‘inaugurated’ emphasizes the character’s sense of a new beginning or rebirth into maturity,

which was provoked by the help of her community. As Denver is now portrayed to have this

form of strength as a woman, her identity is shown in the story to have shifted to give her

responsibility and independence. This new freedom of her independent self is seen to be essential

to her development as a person, as later when she is offered assistance by her neighbors, she

appeared agitated and noted that “asking for help from strangers is worse than hunger” (292).

The reluctance within Denver showcases her rooted fear of being a burden to her society, as well

as her pride. This fear within the character signifies her previous viewpoint regarding

community, as her mother Sethe had always taught her to remain prideful. Reluctance to accept
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aid from others was shown as detrimental to Denver’s personal development as it led to a lack of

exposure, thus inhibiting her maturity and character transformation. Morrison portrayed Denver

to contain such prideful characteristics in order to emphasize the extent of her character growth,

as she was later shown to have “paid a second visit to the world” (293), and had been thankful of

the aid given to her from her neighbors. Through this, Denver is portrayed to experience a

change in character as she had been challenged to unlearn her pride and accept humility through

help. Denver’s ‘second visit’ works to demonstrate her previous lack of exposure to society,

which was then contrasted as she voluntarily looked to reintegrate back into society. Her desire

to establish good relations with her community portrays her to be a character that contains

gratitude, as she is now thankful for the assistance given to her, which allows her to further

connect with her neighbors. The positive relationship between herself and her community thus

demonstrates the importance of having this aid, as it worked to shape Denver into her mature

identity and provided a pathway for development from the past.

The author similarly utilized repetition in order to demonstrate the importance of

community within the story. As Denver was seen to graciously accept aid from her neighbors,

the author noted that she had begun to frequently receive several “gifts of food” (293). The

action of which the character’s community had taken to provide and care for Denver further

showcases the importance of such unification. The author portrays the community to have the

responsibility to heal Denver, which further allows them to integrate and create a strong bond of

black networks. When receiving such gifts, Denver recalled conversing with her givers, and

noted that each person had a story of their own regarding her home, “One remembered…” (293).

The repetition of such remembrance within 124 --Denver’s home-- allowed for the author to

portray 124 as an area previously filled with life. After the death of Sethe’s child within the
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home, it became a neglected area, thus symbolizing the created neglect of the community

towards 124. Such isolation from society had stunted the growth of Denver, as she was unaware

that 124 had history beyond its death. Yet, the giving of life to the home where it had previously

lacked through the communal telling of stories showcases the strength of the previous network of

the black community. As Morrison shows the society to have reunited once again, this allowed

for a beneficial turning point of growth for Denver’s identity with the community’s help. This

ability to accept the assistance was essential for the growth of the characters as it was their only

mechanism in which they could escape the past, and instead move forward as one community.

Morrison finally had utilized symbolism in order to showcase the healing abilities in a

strong community. After listing the gifts which Denver had received from her community, the

author concludes this by showing her to have been given a Bible, which she had memorized

diligently (294). By including a holy book to have become incorporated in Denver’s life due to

neighborly assistance, this represents the community as a saving power. Similar to the way in

which a Bible is often portrayed to provide a ‘savior’ within the lives of the lost, the

incorporation of a strong society within Denver’s life works in a similar manner. As a result of

having access to such aid, Denver in turn develops into an independent being. The positive shift

in her character with the community being her savior in turn demonstrates the importance of

black unification in the story. As well, the author described those who had helped Denver to

never cease from caring about her in times of judgment (294). The ‘guardian angel’ type

portrayal of the community represents it to be a forgiving spirit which is essential to the

development of Denver and her identity. A sense of forgiveness is established as a result of the

communal help, which is necessary to finally heal from their past and move forward within

society as a united black community.

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In conclusion, Morrison utilizes detail, repetition, and symbolism in order to emphasize

the importance of community as it works to shape developing identities in a beneficial matter, as

well as create essential unification where it had previously lacked.

Reflection: In revising my essay, I made sure to create diversity in my sentence structures so it

became easier to follow, and less confusing. Originally it had sentences which were all very

long, so I altered it to create variation. As well, I made sure to change my sentences of analysis

which began with ‘this’. These sentences had previously taken away from my argument, so I

made sure to get rid of them to create a more direct analysis. I finally worked on improving my

diction choices to appear more complex and sophisticated.