How Does Toni Morrison Use Trees In Beloved
Jennifer Cassano April 1, 2012
Eng 21
Tietel
Natures Power
Nature acts powerfully through the healing mechanisms of the body and mind to maintain and restore health. Toni Morrison makes no exeptions to this idea. In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison uses trees to symbolize comfort, protection and peace. Morrison uses trees throughout Beloved to emphasize the serenity that the natural world offers. Many black characters refer to trees as offering healing and escape, therefor conveying Morrisons message that trees bring peace. Besides using the novel’s characters to convey her message, Morrison herself displays the good and calmness that …show more content…
Amy Denver, the whitewomen who had helped Sethe through labor only appears once in the book during Denver’s story. Although she only appears once her tree reference to Sethe’s scarred back help soothe physical and mental pain. “its a tree Lu, See here’s the trunk its red and split open, full of sap, and this here the parting for the branches. You got a might lot of branches. Tiny little cherry tree blossoms , just as white. Your back got a whole tree on it. In bloom” (79). Amy Denver uses a euphemism for Sethes scar, calling it a chokecherry tree to try to ease the pain and sadness that the scar brings. The image of a chokecherry tree brings spring, bloom, and peaceful nature instead of the shame, pain and sadness that the scar truley represents. In attempts to try to ease Sethes pain even more Amy Denver searches for spiderwebs, another product of nature to drape over Sethes tree. Paul D says “Follow the tree flowers” he said “ only the tree flowers, as they go you go. You will be where you want to be when they are gone” (112). Nature brings a certain calmness and the characters references to trees support this
Eng 21
Tietel
Natures Power
Nature acts powerfully through the healing mechanisms of the body and mind to maintain and restore health. Toni Morrison makes no exeptions to this idea. In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison uses trees to symbolize comfort, protection and peace. Morrison uses trees throughout Beloved to emphasize the serenity that the natural world offers. Many black characters refer to trees as offering healing and escape, therefor conveying Morrisons message that trees bring peace. Besides using the novel’s characters to convey her message, Morrison herself displays the good and calmness that …show more content…
Amy Denver, the whitewomen who had helped Sethe through labor only appears once in the book during Denver’s story. Although she only appears once her tree reference to Sethe’s scarred back help soothe physical and mental pain. “its a tree Lu, See here’s the trunk its red and split open, full of sap, and this here the parting for the branches. You got a might lot of branches. Tiny little cherry tree blossoms , just as white. Your back got a whole tree on it. In bloom” (79). Amy Denver uses a euphemism for Sethes scar, calling it a chokecherry tree to try to ease the pain and sadness that the scar brings. The image of a chokecherry tree brings spring, bloom, and peaceful nature instead of the shame, pain and sadness that the scar truley represents. In attempts to try to ease Sethes pain even more Amy Denver searches for spiderwebs, another product of nature to drape over Sethes tree. Paul D says “Follow the tree flowers” he said “ only the tree flowers, as they go you go. You will be where you want to be when they are gone” (112). Nature brings a certain calmness and the characters references to trees support this