Beloved Business Letter
Dear Ronny:
Hello my name is Caroline Huber and as a member of a Junior English class at the William Penn Charter School, I am writing to regarding to your article entitled: "Nothing to Love about Beloved."
Your evaluation of Toni Morrison’s Beloved was not only uninformed, but also entirely untruthful. To say that post-Civil War blacks should have easily “become full and productive members of society” is just plain ignorant. It is most likely because of naïve people like you that the slaves where unable that. Now that is of course, jumping to the assumption that you are a white male who has not had struggles that acute in your life. I wouldn’t put you into your category of “devil” exactly, but you unfortunately are down with the rest of the “foolish” whites that you mention in your critique.
From the very beginning of your review I got the idea that you had missed something that was rather important to the novel; the reason for Beloved, the ghost. Yes the Emancipation Proclamation was passed and slaves were technically “freedmen” but the horror of their experiences still enslaved them. This is explained by Sethe on page 38 of the novel while she is explaining her life to Denver.
“The picture is still there and what’s more, if you go there - you who never was there - if you go there and stand in the place where it was, it will happen again; it will be there for you, waiting for you. So, Denver, you can’t never go there. Never. Because even though it’s all over – over and done with – it’s going to always be there waiting for you. That’s how come I had to get all my children out. No matter what. “(38)
Sethe is explaining to Denver here that no matter where she goes in the world slavery will always be her past, and possible future, there is no escaping it. Morrison tries to show outsiders that there are two different kinds of slavery, the malicious, racist, kind that took place before the civil war, and the mental kind that took place post- Civil War.
Another horror that slaves, particularly female slaves, would never forget was the terrible rapes that took place. Sadly Morrison tells us that Sethe was a victim of such a crime. While speaking to Paul D, Sethe tells her story:
“After I left you, those boys came in there and took my milk. That’s what they came in there for. Held me down and took it. I told Mrs. Garner on em. She had that lump and couldn’t speak but her eyes rolled out tears. Them boys found out I told on em. Schoolteachermade one open up my back, and when it closed it made a tree. It grows there still.” (17)
This quote explains to us how Sethe was taken and raped by her owners, and that after the fact there was nothing she could do about it. When she went to tell the one person she thought would understand she only ended up in more trouble with her rapists. After such a tragic event how could anyone expect Sethe to function along white men in society? She couldn’t.
Though I understand that everyone wants their children to “learn something about the horrors of slavery,“ I advise that the history texts are no place for that. History books give you the cut and dry of history; if they didn’t there wouldn’t be enough room in the library to hold one of them. History textbooks are fact based, this novel was based on post Civil-war slaves and their emotions; no textbook can teach that. But Mr. Savage, you say that you wouldn’t want your child reading about a mother that “violently cuts her baby’s throat and let’s her child bleed to death in her own arms,” in that case keep them from the history books as well because that’s in mine.
Among the other things you whined about in your review, I found your comment regarding Morrison’s portrayal of whites the most interesting. Though I will agree with you that their were not any whites portrayed in the book as being saints, but lets be honest Mr. Savage, saints were few and far between back in that day. Let me also remind you that Toni Morrison wrote this book from the prospective of an ex-slave and her family. Baby Suggs expresses her views on whites saying, "‘those white things have taken all I had or dreamed,’ she said, ‘and broke my heartstrings too. There is no bad luck in the world but white folks’" (104). Because the characters of the novel saw whites in this way, the book’s representation of them won’t be any different, and I’m sorry if that hurts your feelings Mr. Savage.
Who can blame a people that were so discriminated against for as long as they could remember? This discrimination still occurs for them, even after they were emancipated. A perfect example is in the carnival scene when Sethe, Denver, and Paul D. see the Arabian dancer perform. Paul D. has already explained to us that Thursdays were for “coloreds”, showing the segregation of the carnival, but later Sethe describes how things are a little different on Thursdays. As the Arabian dancer walked out on the stage, her face displayed nothing close to excited; she looked uncomfortable and angry. We are also informed that the show lasted “three minutes instead of the usual fifteen” (58). No matter where they go, it’s always the same; white folk rule.
I’m sorry Mr. Savage, I simply cannot agree with any of your comments. You have not supported your argument in the least; just tossed out meaningless garbage in hopes that someone will be convinced. Well, next time you try to attack a piece of literature you should select one more your level; perhaps the Bernstein Bears would be more appropriate. Thank you very much for your time Mr. Savage. I assure you these previous comments are purely about your review, and have no intention of hurting your feelings or ego.
Sincerely,
Caroline Huber