What Barbara Schapiro has to say...

In Barbara Schapiro's interpretation of Beloved, she argues in her writing “The Bonds of Love and the Boundaries of Self in Toni Morrison’s Beloved” that Sethe and Denver’s presence are absent in their society. Although Sethe is a freed former slave, she has trouble embracing her freedom because she is still internally wounded by her past experiences. These memories come back to haunt her, and as a mother she feels that she cannot fulfill that role. Sethe, a free African American woman, cannot claim ownership of herself. Schapiro claims that “the denial of one’s status as a human subject, has deep repercussions in the individual's internal world”. This is exactly what is holding Sethe back from living a blissful life. She needs the comfort of other characters in order to feel secure. Can we guess who the character’s might be? Yes, Paul D and Beloved. Not only is it Sethe that is feeling unwanted, but Denver feels the same isolation as her mother does. Schapiro goes on by explaining how even if one is “freed from external bondage” (in this cases, slavery) one is still “trapped in an inner world that prevents a genuine experience of freedom”.

My interpretation of Beloved is also similar to the one of Barbara Schapiro’s. As I was reading the novel, I noticed that Sethe and Denver were living a depressed and unhappy life. It was until Paul D came, where Sethe felt the warmth from his lust and affection. However, Denver consistently complained about being lonesome. The presence of Paul D was able to make them feel existent and known. In the case of Denver, meeting Beloved -who became a sister like figure to her- lifted her spirit. Denver also takes on the motherly role as she begins to care and nurse Beloved. The reason why Denver felt empty was because her mother, Sethe, did not give her the attention she needed. Sethe could not nurture her daughter because she was also missing the same attention. In Schapiro’s analysis, Schapiro refers to a passage of the novel, where Denver did not want her mother to look away. She says that Seth's eyes reflect “denial of self she had experienced on all levels in her life”. Both Sethe and Denver feel as their status in society is denied, however, they see Paul D and Beloved as their saviors. They feel shunned rather than feeling free. This makes both of them anxious, unable to overcome this fear in order to claim their independence and one’s self.