The shift to first person narration in Section II is the first time we are permitted a glimpse into Sethe’s thoughts and the emotions she hides behind her prideful facade. The revelation that Beloved is her daughter born-again brings forth this surge of emotions and we are able to see her guilt, her need for forgiveness, and her desire to nurture the child whose life she ended. The narrative shift allowed me to finally sympathize with Sethe, who never seemed to show any remorse for her actions. She says “when I put up that headstone I wanted to lay in there with you” (241) and the regret Sethe has for her actions is finally made known. Sethe sees it as a sign of mercy that Beloved has returned on “her own free will” and now that she is back, Sethe “won’t never let her go” (236). It seems that Beloved is not the only one reborn, but with her presence and forgiveness, Sethe is also allowed to move forward and live again.
I agree with what you are saying about finally being able to sympathize with Sethe. The whole time I had been unsure of how she felt about what she had done but this chapter really opened up a new point of view for me about Sethe. I felt sympathy for her and had a new understanding for why she did what she did.
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