Beloved entries 28-45

28. "Denver needed somebody normal in her life" (pg. 200) This suggests that Denver is the only person in 124 who is even partially sane. There is a contrast here between Denver and Paul D. While both seem to be normal people, Denver becomes addicted to Beloved while Paul D. is completely creeped out by her.
29. "Spirit willing; flesh weak" (pg. 203). Allusion to Bible- Matthew 26:41. Jesus tells Peter to watch out so he doesn't become tempted. Stamp Paid is tempted to knock on the door of 124. There is the possibility that by doing so, he would meet Beloved and become one of the ones who is addicted to her. He wants to help Denver, but he is being saved from evil by not entering into temptation.
30. "...nobody saw them falling" (pg. 205). This hints at the affect slavery has had on the minds of the people in this family. They start to go crazy, but no one sees until they are unsalvageable. This also parallels how no one knew Sethe was insane until she attempted to kill her entire family.
31. "The peace of the winter stars seemed permanent" (pg. 208). Now that Sethe knows about Beloved, she can be content with it. The past doesn't seem so horrible to her now that something good has come of it. "Seemed" foreshadows to the way that Beloved becomes spoiled by the love that is shown to her by her family. After the time of peace is over, Beloved will have to go as well.
32. "He hoped she stuck to blue, yellow, maybe green, and never fixed on red" (pg. 213). Stamp Paid hopes that Baby Suggs was able to focus on the good things in life (such as harmony, joy, heaven, trust and truth) and never got sidetracked by the things that will make a person want to die (such as rage, malice and anger). He has a great respect for her and the way she helps others in the Clearing and wants her to feel the same release of problems that she brought to everyone else.
33. "I can forget that what I did changed Baby Suggs' life" (pg. 217). Sethe knows that her decision to kill Beloved ruined any chance that Baby had of growing roots with the townspeople. This causes her even more bad memories, but now she doesn't seem to be showing any remorse for what she did. This suggests a parallelism between Sethe and the white slave owners: they may have some bad memories, but that doesn't stop them from doing what they do. They don't seem to care what effect their actions will have on certain individuals.
34. "...leastway act like a Christian" (pg. 219). This suggests that no one in the town treats Sethe with any respect or familiarity because of what she did and possibly because they also think she has too much pride. It is perhaps more her pride in what she did that keeps her from being a part of the community. If she showed some humility, or even some remorse, they would be more willing to accept her.
35. "...that people who die bad don't stay in the ground" (pg. 221). This hints at both the way Beloved died and what she becomes when she is alive. It is common for ghosts to be the people who died a violent death, so it is not surprising when Beloved returns to haunt her mother. This also foreshadows to Beloved's "bad" behavior later in the book when she becomes demanding like the spoiled infant she is at heart. The question that Morrison is posing to the reader here is "what is Beloved's unfinished business?"
36. "Feel their judgement or their pity, especially now" (pg. 225). Morrison has already established that the people in the town look down on pride, and that is probably the real reason Sethe doesn't want to go to the store with the others. She isn't accepted by the whites or the former slaves. To one group, she is an animal. To the other, she is a murderer full of pride for what she did.
37. "Away from me. Always away from me" (pg. 226). This reflects not only the abandonment of Sethe's own family, but also the theme of slavery and its effect on the individual. Sethe's family (especially Howard and Buglar) are afraid of her and that's why they abandon her. Denver might not physically abandon her, but she isn't able to show her the love that she holds inside because of the fear of what might happen. This part also reflects the damages that slavery can have on families. Many were torn apart because many of the members were sold or hanged.
38. "Who in the world was he willing to die for?" (pg. 239). Sethe's insanity drove her to try and kill her children, but she didn't die. She was the one killing, so it's ironic that she would think of Paul D. like this. She feels that he doesn't love at all and therefore he is flawed. The problem with Paul is that he actually does love, but he tries very hard not to because he doesn't want to have to let the things/people he loves go.
39. "Don't love her too much" (pg. 243). This is a warning that Denver should be speaking to herself about Beloved. She is becoming too attached to her, even though she subconsciously knows that Beloved doesn't belong in her world. The fact that Denver has so much love to give and so much lonliness to make up for is wasted on Beloved. However, this will eventually be a benefit to Denver. Her lonliness is what helps her to break her addiction to her sister and go out to get help from the people of the town.
40. "...sent him running toward blossoms" (pg. 261). This suggests that Paul D. was running towards Sethe from the very beginning. The cherry blossoms on her back are symbolic of the dead slaves hung from the trees, so this passage could also be hinting that going to Sethe will be the death of a part of him. By the end of the book, we find that running to Sethe saved Paul D. from his fear of loving.
41. "For his song perhaps to end?" (pg. 266). The songs of many of the slaves were made up to symbolize their lives. The fact that the whitemen wait for Sixo to finish his song could be showing the reader that they are just wanting him to die. It is fitting that it is Sixo's song that convinces the men to put him to death. Perhaps he appealed to their subconscious and got them to kill him to put him out of his misery.
42. "A teasing August rain that raises expectations it cannot fill" (pg. 268). The weather reflects the failure of the escape plans and the fact that Paul D. gets caught. It could also be symbolic of the expectations that Beloved's family has. At first, they all want her to stay and that is the teasing. Once she decides she is going to stay, things start to go bad and she becomes spoiled. Beloved can't live up to the expectations because she isn't really meant to be in the world of the living.
43. "...ask your pardon. Apologize" (pg. 271). Stamp is like family to everyone he has ferried across the river. He is perhaps the only one who can take a duty like this upon himself. He feels ashamed that no one in the town took it upon themselves to invite Paul D. into their home. This seems to reflect on him somehow. I think it makes it look like he didn't try hard enough to get his "family" to offer Paul D. a place to stay.
44. "Saw Sethe's eyes bright but dead, alert but vacant..." (pg. 285) This is the point in the story where Beloved and Sethe seem to be trading places. Where Beloved was dead and vacant before, now Sethe is. Before, Beloved was thin but now she is becoming bloated from being pregnant as well as taking most of the food in the household. This marks a turning point for Sethe. Now, if Beloved were to leave she would feel some pain, but it would be something that she could be drawn out of with a few kind words. I think before if she would have lost Beloved, there would have been nothing that could have been done to keep her from killing herself.
45. "Denver lowered her head" (pg. 288). Perhaps the reason why the people in town are able to accept Denver is because she doesn't show any of the pride that is so evident in her mother. In fact, Denver sees no reason why people would want to help her out. This is what makes them more inclined to like her. She is respectful to everyone and that makes them feel better. She gives them a sense of importance that they never had in their lives as slaves and that is a priceless gift.