Memory, Rememory, and the Power of the Past

The novel talks about the issues of memory, rememory and the power of the past at this point of the book by the spiritualism of Beloved. Throughout the story of Sethe running away from Sweet Home, Sethe has many weird psychological moments where she beleives there is a human touching her, when in reality, there is nothing there. "Tumbling forward from her seat on the rock, she clawed at the hands that were not there." (113) The "hands" that were supposedly clawing at Sethe's feet were the hands of the dead child that Beloved turned into. The power of the past and rememory have an important impact on Sethe because after her conversation with Paul D, she was able to release the horrible events that have happened in the past by talking about them with Paul D. "Trust and rememory, yes, the way she believed it could be when he cradled her before the cooking stove...Her story was bearable because it was his as well-- to tell, to refine and tell again." (117) Sethe had stated that the power of the cruel stories that happened to her in the passed were now able to release and she was able to talk about them because she had someone with her who shared the same stories as she did. The challenges that arise when when the past is either raised or avoided is that Sethe has a hard time talking about it. It is embraced when Sethe has someone to talk to (Paul D) because she is becoming abled to trust him since they went through the same cruel events together. It is hidden when Sethe has a hard time trying to admit that she killed Beloved. Throughout the entire book, Sethe does not speak of what happened to Beloved, only that there was a spiritual connection between them.