Blog #2 - Repetition

Throughout the novel, Beloved, the author uses a lot of repetition. Morrison throws in repetition in lines, phrases, or just single words. When she uses this technique, the same words often appear within a few pages. It first became most apparent when referring to the dead baby in the past. The baby was designated the name “crawling already? girl”. The name of the crawling already? girl was never mentioned so instead, this titled was given to her. It served as something more than just a name to call her though. The use of repetition for this particular aspect of the story really emphasized the fact that this girl was a significant character and had a major impact on the other characters. All three of Sethe’s other children had normal names and were referred to by them. This child was an exception though, which made her stand out amongst the others hinting that something was unusual with her. Another section of the book where repetition is heavily used is the chapter coming from Beloved’s point of view (pg. 248-253). In this chapter, Beloved repeats many different lines over and over again to display her obsession with Sethe. One major line restated by Beloved was, “I am Beloved and she is mine.” The final use of repetition that really stood out amongst others was in the last few pages. The novel was wrapping up and at least three times sprinkled throughout, the line, “It was not a story to pass on” appeared. I think the author’s use of this line multiple times really drives the story home. It stated that the story was not very pleasant and it would be better off forgotten. The characters were trying to erase the memories of anything that happened and Morrison stressed the fact that the story should not be shared. The use of repetition made it clear as day that if they wanted to forget, they needed the story to be out of their lives. I also think it was a creative way to show that this was not a “happily ever after” story. Repetition was a technique used all throughout the novel to emphasize key points and make sure the reader couldn’t miss them. It was crucial in order to fully understand the story being told.