Haunting in Beloved and “Going to Meet the Man”
by Eric Shapiro
Humans are unique from other animals in that they aware of time. This knowledge enables them to ponder their futures and look back on their pasts. It is for this reason that the concept of haunting both frightens and fascinates us. Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved and James Baldwin’s short story “Going to Meet the Man” feature haunting as prominent themes. Both stories heavily emphasize the debilitating effects of past experiences, but they differ in their final outlooks. Beloved suggests that with a combination of personal strength and support from others, one can recover from the horrors of slavery. “Going to Meet the Man,” on the other hand, provides an example of a man who has been damaged beyond repair by witnessing an example of inhumanity as a child growing up in the post-Civil War South.
The verb “haunt” has two common definitions in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: “To recur persistently to the consciousness of; remain with” and “to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost.”
The characters in Beloved are haunted in both senses of the word. At the onset of the novel, the ghost of Sethe’s daughter and Denver’s sister dwells in 124, causing disasters and scaring the townspeople into keeping their distance. However, perhaps even more debilitating to the protagonists than any actual ghost is the specter of the past hanging over them. Bad memories prevent them from living normal, social lives.
For example, Sethe’s ordeal at Sweet Home still consumes her thoughts, causing her to constantly recall her life as a slave, in which a schoolteacher sexually and psychologically abused her. Even more humiliating were the “scientific observations” he took on her and her fellow slaves as if they were animals. In light of these experiences, she attempts to murder her three children in a mixed act of compassion and animalism to protect them from a life of slavery. The trauma Sethe suffered in her younger years compels her to go beyond her rights as a mother, depriving another human being of the opportunity to live a full life. This mentality can be observed in how she shelters her daughter, Denver.
Sethe’s harrowing past also causes her to see herself differently from the rest of the community (which is unreasonable, considering that many of them suffered similar abuses as slaves). Her self-imposed isolation is a reaction to this perceived uniqueness. She even refuses to wait on line for food, instead stealing from the restaurant where she works. Although this does not excuse the townspeople’s utter apathy, Sethe’s attitude is an unappealing trait and a byproduct of her past misfortunes.
Similarly, Paul D’s experiences have left him crippled. While at Sweet Home, Paul D. is subjected to harsh punishment, such as when he is forced to hold an iron bit in his mouth that obstructs his speech for days. Even more difficult is watching as his fellow slaves (virtually family) are killed, abused and driven insane. Morrison constantly calls attention to the “tin-tobacco box” that has taken the place of his heart, which is a metaphor for Paul D’s inability to fully love and form connections.
Denver stands apart from the other protagonists in that she has lived a life of complete isolation. Sethe shelters her daughter and instills in her a sense of dependency in a misguided attempt to protect her from the horrors the former suffered as a child. Hence, Denver is 18, but much like Beloved, she is like a young child in the body of an older person because she cannot function without the presence of her mother. She immediately identifies Paul D as a competitor for her mother’s affections and detests the fact that he has special bond with Sethe that she can never hope to understand or possess. Ironically, she sees the fact that she has never been a slave as a disadvantage; in essence, Denver is the exact opposite of her mother in that she is haunted by a sheltered, utterly mundane past.
Beloved herself plays a myriad of roles in the novel. Her uncertain history and child-like personality make her a blank slate that the various characters use to fulfill their emotional needs. The fact that she reminds Sethe and Denver of their long-lost family member makes them all the more willing to let this stranger into their life and form a deep relationship in a short period of time. However, the reader soon realizes that the eponymous character has a will of her own. Like a young child, Beloved develops the ability to manipulate her family members. Her parasitic relationship with Sethe casts her as a sinister figure. However, she also acts as a catalyst for often-painful emotional growth for other characters.
It is never made clear who (or what) Beloved is in a non-metaphorical context, although it is obvious that she is tied into the characters past in some way. There are hints that she could be the reincarnation of Sethe’s murdered child, mother or more mundanely, a former slave who has gone insane from years of confinement. Regardless, she is most significant for what she represents. Beloved is an allegory for the haunting legacy of slavery, the effects of which are formidable but not insurmountable. Her presence has many positive aspects that become obvious as the novel progresses.
Despite Paul D’s persistent hatred for Beloved, a series of bizarre sexual encounters between the two of them helps the former to unseal his tobacco tin-box so that he can form meaningful relationships. Meanwhile, Denver is forced to act maturely in order to save her mother from herself, which is evident when she leaves the house alone for the first time in 12 years to seek help. And while Beloved obviously feeds off of Sethe in a negative way, she also forces her to confront her past through story telling so that she can come to terms with it and move on.
Beloved even helps people outside of 124. For example, Ella, much like Sethe, believes that the past should stay buried. Also similar is the fact that Ella too was put in a position by slavery in which she was unable to care for her child. It is a significant moment of emotional growth when she decides to rally the townspeople to rescue Sethe from Beloved. She sets in motion an end to the apathy that was partially responsible for the death of Sethe’s child in the first place. And so it can be said that Beloved’s most impressive “accomplishment” is motivating the community to care for its members who are in need.
Beloved is a novel packed with emotionally scarred characters and disturbing themes. Nevertheless, its message is cautiously optimistic: with proper (albeit unintentional) guidance, it is possible to recover from even the devastating experiences of slavery and loss. Ironically, Jesse, the white protagonist in “Going to Meet the Man,” who lives a comparatively easy life, is not so lucky; the reader is left with the impression that he will be haunted by a traumatic past experience for the rest of his days.
Jesse is not an evil person, but rather a prime example of a character utterly twisted by the immoral views and practices of his time. Like many racists, his prejudices were instilled in him at an early age. Growing up in the South in the years leading up to the Civil War, he is practically forced to hate black people. Case in point, a friendship with a local black child named Otis is quickly staunched by his father. Jesse falls pray to lure of superiority. His skin color seems to elevate him above his friend, and he is too weak to turn down the status that it gives him. However, in what his parents would call “childish naivete,” doubts linger in his subconscious as to whether he is “better” simply because he looks different. But this is by no means unusual.
What is unusual is the bizarre sexual fetish Jesse develops: he can only be turned on by violent sex with black women. This unusual desire stems from a lynching that his parents take him to see as a child and, more importantly, the significance his father proscribes to it. The brutal acts inflicted on a black man are portrayed to Jesse as some perverse coming-of-age ritual. This causes him to associate the suffering of a specific ethnic group with being a man and winning his father’s approval. This perversion takes on a sexual significance when Jesse notices that his mother has dressed up for the occasion.
Jesse’s father unwittingly curses him with an unhealthy sexual fetish that will not only haunt him, but will also result in the suffering of others. Jesse is incapable of being sexually aroused normally, which naturally makes him angry. He misdirects this anger at the easiest targets. As a sheriff, beating up black men is within his power and eventually even this turns him on. Jesse is caught in a destructive cycle of anger and desire that makes it impossible for him to be happy, no matter how many slaves he kills. Even his wife is made to suffer when Jesse forces her to “fuck him like a nigger” (i.e., very painfully).
Unlike the characters in Beloved, Jesse has no one to help him recover from his past experiences; his wife is a passive character, and his friends wholeheartedly support his unhealthy indulgences. And so, ironically, the white man is fated to live a life of misery haunted by his past, while former slaves are given the opportunity to overcome their limitations.
Beloved and “Going to Meet the Man” demonstrate how differently characters can turn out when they are haunted by the past. Luck and human intervention can work hand in hand to heal these old wounds, or they can doom people to live with their scars forever. The only consistency is that it impossible to escape misfortune unscathed.
The verb “haunt” has two common definitions in the Merriam-Webster dictionary: “To recur persistently to the consciousness of; remain with” and “to visit habitually or appear to frequently as a spirit or ghost.”
The characters in Beloved are haunted in both senses of the word. At the onset of the novel, the ghost of Sethe’s daughter and Denver’s sister dwells in 124, causing disasters and scaring the townspeople into keeping their distance. However, perhaps even more debilitating to the protagonists than any actual ghost is the specter of the past hanging over them. Bad memories prevent them from living normal, social lives.
For example, Sethe’s ordeal at Sweet Home still consumes her thoughts, causing her to constantly recall her life as a slave, in which a schoolteacher sexually and psychologically abused her. Even more humiliating were the “scientific observations” he took on her and her fellow slaves as if they were animals. In light of these experiences, she attempts to murder her three children in a mixed act of compassion and animalism to protect them from a life of slavery. The trauma Sethe suffered in her younger years compels her to go beyond her rights as a mother, depriving another human being of the opportunity to live a full life. This mentality can be observed in how she shelters her daughter, Denver.
Sethe’s harrowing past also causes her to see herself differently from the rest of the community (which is unreasonable, considering that many of them suffered similar abuses as slaves). Her self-imposed isolation is a reaction to this perceived uniqueness. She even refuses to wait on line for food, instead stealing from the restaurant where she works. Although this does not excuse the townspeople’s utter apathy, Sethe’s attitude is an unappealing trait and a byproduct of her past misfortunes.
Similarly, Paul D’s experiences have left him crippled. While at Sweet Home, Paul D. is subjected to harsh punishment, such as when he is forced to hold an iron bit in his mouth that obstructs his speech for days. Even more difficult is watching as his fellow slaves (virtually family) are killed, abused and driven insane. Morrison constantly calls attention to the “tin-tobacco box” that has taken the place of his heart, which is a metaphor for Paul D’s inability to fully love and form connections.
Denver stands apart from the other protagonists in that she has lived a life of complete isolation. Sethe shelters her daughter and instills in her a sense of dependency in a misguided attempt to protect her from the horrors the former suffered as a child. Hence, Denver is 18, but much like Beloved, she is like a young child in the body of an older person because she cannot function without the presence of her mother. She immediately identifies Paul D as a competitor for her mother’s affections and detests the fact that he has special bond with Sethe that she can never hope to understand or possess. Ironically, she sees the fact that she has never been a slave as a disadvantage; in essence, Denver is the exact opposite of her mother in that she is haunted by a sheltered, utterly mundane past.
Beloved herself plays a myriad of roles in the novel. Her uncertain history and child-like personality make her a blank slate that the various characters use to fulfill their emotional needs. The fact that she reminds Sethe and Denver of their long-lost family member makes them all the more willing to let this stranger into their life and form a deep relationship in a short period of time. However, the reader soon realizes that the eponymous character has a will of her own. Like a young child, Beloved develops the ability to manipulate her family members. Her parasitic relationship with Sethe casts her as a sinister figure. However, she also acts as a catalyst for often-painful emotional growth for other characters.
It is never made clear who (or what) Beloved is in a non-metaphorical context, although it is obvious that she is tied into the characters past in some way. There are hints that she could be the reincarnation of Sethe’s murdered child, mother or more mundanely, a former slave who has gone insane from years of confinement. Regardless, she is most significant for what she represents. Beloved is an allegory for the haunting legacy of slavery, the effects of which are formidable but not insurmountable. Her presence has many positive aspects that become obvious as the novel progresses.
Despite Paul D’s persistent hatred for Beloved, a series of bizarre sexual encounters between the two of them helps the former to unseal his tobacco tin-box so that he can form meaningful relationships. Meanwhile, Denver is forced to act maturely in order to save her mother from herself, which is evident when she leaves the house alone for the first time in 12 years to seek help. And while Beloved obviously feeds off of Sethe in a negative way, she also forces her to confront her past through story telling so that she can come to terms with it and move on.
Beloved even helps people outside of 124. For example, Ella, much like Sethe, believes that the past should stay buried. Also similar is the fact that Ella too was put in a position by slavery in which she was unable to care for her child. It is a significant moment of emotional growth when she decides to rally the townspeople to rescue Sethe from Beloved. She sets in motion an end to the apathy that was partially responsible for the death of Sethe’s child in the first place. And so it can be said that Beloved’s most impressive “accomplishment” is motivating the community to care for its members who are in need.
Beloved is a novel packed with emotionally scarred characters and disturbing themes. Nevertheless, its message is cautiously optimistic: with proper (albeit unintentional) guidance, it is possible to recover from even the devastating experiences of slavery and loss. Ironically, Jesse, the white protagonist in “Going to Meet the Man,” who lives a comparatively easy life, is not so lucky; the reader is left with the impression that he will be haunted by a traumatic past experience for the rest of his days.
Jesse is not an evil person, but rather a prime example of a character utterly twisted by the immoral views and practices of his time. Like many racists, his prejudices were instilled in him at an early age. Growing up in the South in the years leading up to the Civil War, he is practically forced to hate black people. Case in point, a friendship with a local black child named Otis is quickly staunched by his father. Jesse falls pray to lure of superiority. His skin color seems to elevate him above his friend, and he is too weak to turn down the status that it gives him. However, in what his parents would call “childish naivete,” doubts linger in his subconscious as to whether he is “better” simply because he looks different. But this is by no means unusual.
What is unusual is the bizarre sexual fetish Jesse develops: he can only be turned on by violent sex with black women. This unusual desire stems from a lynching that his parents take him to see as a child and, more importantly, the significance his father proscribes to it. The brutal acts inflicted on a black man are portrayed to Jesse as some perverse coming-of-age ritual. This causes him to associate the suffering of a specific ethnic group with being a man and winning his father’s approval. This perversion takes on a sexual significance when Jesse notices that his mother has dressed up for the occasion.
Jesse’s father unwittingly curses him with an unhealthy sexual fetish that will not only haunt him, but will also result in the suffering of others. Jesse is incapable of being sexually aroused normally, which naturally makes him angry. He misdirects this anger at the easiest targets. As a sheriff, beating up black men is within his power and eventually even this turns him on. Jesse is caught in a destructive cycle of anger and desire that makes it impossible for him to be happy, no matter how many slaves he kills. Even his wife is made to suffer when Jesse forces her to “fuck him like a nigger” (i.e., very painfully).
Unlike the characters in Beloved, Jesse has no one to help him recover from his past experiences; his wife is a passive character, and his friends wholeheartedly support his unhealthy indulgences. And so, ironically, the white man is fated to live a life of misery haunted by his past, while former slaves are given the opportunity to overcome their limitations.
Beloved and “Going to Meet the Man” demonstrate how differently characters can turn out when they are haunted by the past. Luck and human intervention can work hand in hand to heal these old wounds, or they can doom people to live with their scars forever. The only consistency is that it impossible to escape misfortune unscathed.