Beloved - Marxism Close Reading - Sethe's Views

“The War had been over four or five years then, but nobody white or black seemed to know it. Odd clusters and strays of Negros wandered the back roads and cow-paths from Schendary to Jackson. Dazed but insistent, they searched each other out for word of cousin, an aunt, a friend who once said, “Call me. Anytime you get near Chicago, just call me.” Some of them were running from dead crops, dead kin, life threats, and took-over land. Boys younger than Buglar and Howard: configurations and blends of families of women and children,while elsewhere, solitary, hunted and hunting for, were men, men, men. Forbidden public transportation, chased by debt and filthy “talking sheets,”...when they met one another they neither described nor asked about the sorrow that drove them from one place to another. The whites did not bear speaking on. Everybody knew” (63).

In this passage, Paul D, Denver, and Sethe have arrived from the carnival and are at 124, approaching their house. In this scene, they see a dressed women coming out of the water. The dressed women is Beloved and as they meet and get situated Paul D is partially visualizing the way Beloveds "people" were. Focusing on Paul D's perspective, power is greatly associated with what is currently occurring in the novel as Sethe is constantly recalled by her superiority in her society. In terms of Marxism, the power differential is seen in multiple parts of this passage through the author's use of imagery, personification(s), and word usage.

Imagery is the most evident use of a literary device through the novel and in this passage, we see this through the descriptions of Negroes and their relation to society “4 or 5 years” after the Civil War since it was a battle that was involved massive African American populations. Paul D explains how “odd clusters and strays of Negros wandered the back roads and cow-paths from Schendary to Jackson” ultimately displaying an image of African Americans generally walking down dark alleys where they are excluded from the “real world”. This is reasonable to visualize as ideologies regarding slavery were still put into effect by those individuals above- in power- African Americans. In addition, he describes these people of his race by making it clear that their “Dazed but insistent, [and] they searched each other out for word of cousin, an aunt, a friend.” This tells the reader one of the main purposes on why these segregated individuals seem perplexed. It is seen through the external and mental visualization that has to do with finding one's family since slaves were separated at young ages. Furthermore, few alliteration enhances a reader's perspective on the issues described by Paul D as he states, “...hunted and hunting for, were men, men, men” which basically means that black men before the Civil War were heavily targeted and used to potentially be given more labor by those with “power” -- free.

Applying feelings/emotions and  human characteristics to objects generally expresses multiple ideas regarding Paul D's interpretation of his past. Paul D describes how people in his community during the late 1800’s had a strong association with slavery, became hated upon and weakened even after slaves were freed. The tragic memories that revolve around Paul D's mind are seen when he describes possibly himself, along with other African Americans, being chased by “debt”. Debt is personified as a figure that haunts the African American community, therefore being "chased by debt" could possibly signify that those who weren't powerful and in control, were greatly impacted by wealth and were then treated unfairly from an economic standpoint. Being chased by debt can most nearly mean being constantly affected by charges an individual has no cause for. Paul D then implements emotions in this device when he states “neither[blacks] described nor asked about the sorrow that drove them from one place to another.” The word sorrow is illustrated as a characteristic that drives an individual from one place to another, hence, the word sorrow and driving imply that the sadness of the slave -for example- is taken as a burden throughout their journey(life) and avoids being explained to others.  

Moreover, the word-usage also has a great effect on the general perspective(s) of this passage. For instance, words like “forbidden”, “solitary” and “life-threats”, signify that there is generally a weak amount of power implied to the individuals that correspond to these phrases which involves Paul D. This strengthens the visualization of Paul D as colored individuals were restricted to ride on “public transportations” and were constantly threatened due to their skin color. The words used in the preceding sentences also contribute to the overall tone and message of the passage. The author is clearly referring to Negroes and the horrible lifestyles that corresponded to Sethe's and Paul's D's past by beginning phrases with, “Odd clusters and strays of Negroes..” and “some of them were running” showing that Negroes at the time were unified but un-superior since they were “running” from life-threats and “took over land.” The words “took over land” demonstrate the groups who owned land, thus owning what is used on the land, such as slaves. The author also mentions “Forbidden transportation” which explains one of the issues African Americans faced. This could have caused multiple forms of violence that could have marked Paul D's interpretation of society since his race was the group that was being heavily oppressed. What makes this device more evident and strengthen in meaning is that the passage mentions “whites” as a group that “did not bear speaking on” the issue since “everybody knew”, meaning that society as a whole knew the challenges Negroes were facing. Whites in the passage are seen as superior since they are mentioned but not targeted like Negros, making “whites” more accountable for the issues faced by Paul D or Sethe. Furthermore, whites demonstrate American values which are seen in an individual who is greatly associated with freedom and liberty. At the time, these aspects in an individual generally gave them the right to own property and receive incredible amounts of wealth ultimately carrying significant amounts of power.