Beloved, a reincarnation of Sethe’s dead baby whom she killed about 18 years ago, arrives back to her family at 124. Her presence reiterates the damage and dangers of slavery’s past for practically anyone she comes in contact with. For instance, she constantly brings back memories to Sethe regarding her own mother’s death, her choice to kill Beloved, and many other memories related to the years of her past when she was still a slave. Another case includes Paul D.’s abandonment of his “tobacco tin buried in his chest where a red heart used to be” to Beloved when she seduces him. Prior to this incident, Paul D lived by the fact that he would never love anyone too much so that he will still have some love left over for the next person. He lives by this statement because of his past like at Sweet Home where he was forced to perform oral sex on the white men. Furthermore, Beloved causes Denver to a deeper fear of her mother from her past of killing her children and Denver decides to keep a motherly keen watch on Beloved.
Beloved’s prominent reminder of slavery and how these people where abused because of their heritage strongly relates to the Boy in the Striped Pajamas. The story of Nazis enslaving Jews clearly reflects discrimination of African Americans. Just as slaves were dehumanized by their white owners, so where the Jewish people who were sent to concentration camps. For example, Pavel, a servant to Bruno’s family, who was once a doctor was sent to a concentration camp, denied his past status, and had to work along the sides of other Jews; he later was beaten to death for no other reason than his heritage. The history of enslavement based off of heritage is a cursing affect that scars generations of people leaving them insecure and weak.
The theme of slavery and its attachment to heritage portrays those soulless people for who they truly are. They felt that beating, whipping, and killing was nothing too horrible because they were convinced it was for the right reason. The innocence, of both Beloved and Bruno, further highlights the monstrous decisions of men and women. In Manohla Dargis’s article, Horror through a Child’s Eyes, proves a very true point that Bruno is told that “Jews are supposed to be bad, and yet Shmuel is nice.” This is also a factor in Beloved because she is still a child though not physically one. Denver’s desire for Beloved becomes increasingly strong as she feels she needs protection and feels as though she is incapable of providing for her enslaved love to her mother Sethe. This similarly occurs when Bruno decides to are for Shmuel, bringing him food, keeping him company, and eventually coming to the other side to be with his friend. The concept of slavery is not limited to physical boundaries and abuse but also refers to the incapability of control over one’s emotion. Boundaries are greatly symbolized through the house 124 that Denver, Sethe and Beloved live in as well as the fence that divides Bruno and Shmuel.
