Beloved Chapter 9 Response

Memory, rememory, and the power of the past are issues that are addressed a lot in this chapter. After hearing Paul D's distubing story, Sethe needs to go to the clearing to clear her head and find comfort in the memory of Baby Suggs. She goes into the clearing because the rememories of Paul D were too much for her to handle. The weight of her own past and now the weight of Paul D's past was a major emotional burden that she would have to carry around for the rest of her life. However, Sethe tries to avoid dealing with the past instead of facing it in order to move on in the future. If Sethe dealt with the past and talked through her problems, it would lift this heavy weight of her shoulders and allow her to seek a brighter future. The first flashback goes back to when 124 was a community house. Baby Suggs was an influential leader who told the African Americans to look into their future and embrace the gift of freedom. Sethe's memory of Baby Suggs and the memory of her wedding to Halle were the only parts of her past that she truly embraced and did not hesitate to share their stories. However, the rest of her past was hidden in her mind and she avoided sharing the past with anyone else for fear of dumping her burdens on others. She wanted to face the challenges that her past brought on alone. This is a major problem in the book because Sethe needs to stop trying to heal her wounds alone. She needs to confide in someone and let them help her and guide her into a better future.