The Supernatural Elements of Toni Morrison's Beloved

Supernatural elements are common in literature and Toni Morrison's Beloved is not alone. In her well received and Pulitzer Prize winning novel, Beloved, Morrison weaves a tale about the ills of slavery, abuse and debilitating grief. In telling her tale, Morrison offers her signature supernatural elements.

The Base Story

In Beloved, Sethe and her daughter Denver live at 124 Bluestone Road. Sethe is an escaped slave with a deeply rooted secret that leaves her and her young daughter isolated. In their home, a spiritual element, a poltergeist, resides. The two worlds, the natural and the supernatural, all interplay.

As time passes and Sethe has found a love interest, the supernatural manifestations in the home evolve and take form, the mysterious Beloved. The title character is haunting and demanding. The new relationship is a threat to their way of life. Quickly, Sethe believes that flesh and bone Beloved is the reincarnation of her dead daughter and Denver sees Beloved as her playmate and confidant. Sethe struggles with her new liberating love relationship and the underlying guilty secret about Beloved, her young daughter's death.

General Use of Supernatural Elements

Morrison has used supernatural elements prominently in many of her works. The use of such elements is not new. However, the supernatural world is generally operates separate and distinct from the natural. In some works, the worlds are parallel, but not interacting. Here is beloved, Morrison uses the poltergeist and possession as a means of bringing Beloved into the physical world. First unseen and then seen.

Consequences of the Spiritual Chaos

As Sethe is consumed by her grief and need to find absolution from Beloved, Sethe begins to waste away. In turn, Beloved grows and becomes stronger. The real and spirit world collide and blend in Beloved. The reality of Sethe, her love for Paul D, and her life with Denver are real, but the influence of Beloved as spirit and then flesh works to alter their reality.

Beloved never lets anyone believe that she is anything less than real in her actions and selfishness. Beloved needs are as real as everyone elses. However, her own personal angst reveals that she does not feel securely part of the real world- just as her own mother and sister have, based on Sethe's fears and limitations, cannot join the real world.

Morrison is a master at balancing the two worlds. Beloved is revealed as a ghost at first and a sad memory, but breathing life into the Sethe's sorrow, Beloved takes physical form. Beloved in spirit was more of a nuisance, while in flesh brings turmoil and more suffering. Finally, Beloved is exorcised, but not before she helps Denver connect with the community around her. After the exorcism

Superstitions aside, the townspeople try to warn the world altering Paul D, that Sethe is not someone with whom he should be involved. He is bewitched by Beloved, but must overcome her unnatural charms to reclaim his faithfulness to Sethe.

Superstition, magic and ghosts are the foundation of the novel. These elements are part of the African American experience and culture. Morrison uses the richness of the imagery and the clear power of her prose, make Beloved just as much a tragically powerful tale.