Houses
Owning a house—the American dream. A white picket fence, a perfectly manicured garden, a backyard with a swingset for the kids. Oh, but don't forget about the mortgage, electricity bills, floodin...
The Hat
Ick. Yeah, that's right, a hat is making us go ick. Specifically, the "black hat wide-brimmed" (26.145), worn by schoolteacher and Mr. Bodwin. The hat isn't just a handy accessory that keeps your s...
Trees
Trees: you can climb them, pick fruit off them, chop them down for wood, or just gaze at them admiringly. And they serve just as many symbolic purposes, too.Paul D thinks that "trees [are] inviting...
Water Imagery
(Re)birthWater is never just water, is it? And in a Toni Morrison novel, it's definitely not just water.Remember when Beloved walks fully dressed out of the water and Sethe runs to the side of the...
The Red Heart and The Pink Flecks
All you need to know about the red heart is in the one OMG-no-they-didn't scene between Paul D and Beloved: "Beloved." He said it, but she did not go. She moved closer with a footfall he didn't hea...
The Tobacco Tin Box
Paul D isn't an easy man to get to know. (Although if you want to try, take a look at our "Character Analysis" section.) How do we know that? Because he keeps going on and on about his tobacco tin...