Theme Exploration: Community and Relationships

Community and relationships

Community and relationships is an important theme in the novel Beloved. The book shows how individuals always need to be part of the society they live in and also to count with their support. For example this is clearly demonstrated in the passage when Paul D is in Alfred, Georgia. In order to survive, the prisoners had to work together and help each other because they were chained to each other and if one was lost “all lost”. When they escaped it was essential that they all did it together and if someone lost the way, the others helped him“. The chain that held them would save all or none” This quotation reflects how important are the relationships and how working together and being surrounded by other people makes survival easier.

Beloved and Denver are isolated from the community to which they belong because of Sethe´s actions in the past. At the end of the book Denver realizes that the situation in which they are living in its very complicated and that she has to do something to solve the problem. “She would have to leave the yard… Leave the two behind and go ask somebody for help” Denver goes out and asks Lady Jones for help, by doing this Denver finally opens up to the community, she tells them the story about Beloved and by doing this she ends up being part of the community once more and it works because everyone starts contributing with what they can. “Every now and then, all through the spring, names appeared near or in gifts of food” The people started sending food because they knew Sethe and Denver didn’t have what to eat anymore and finally when they discover the whole story they come together and walk towards 124 in order to get rid of Beloved and help save Sethe. Without the help from others Denver wouldn’t have been able to help her mother. Even more they ended being part of the community again.

The relationships in the community also had some traditions. For example Stamp Paid talks about how after he did a favour to a family “he took the liberty of walking in your door as though it were his own”. This means that they were a close community and they had close relationship between them, they helped each other and worked together.

Sandra Gomez