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The Symbolism Of Trees In Toni Morrison's Beloved

360 Words2 Pages

In the novel Beloved, Toni Morrison expertly weaves the symbolism of trees throughout the story. To Sethe’s daughter Denver, trees represent tranquility and comfort, as she frequently retreated to a ring of boxwood trees to retreat into herself in an attempt to cure her chronic loneliness. In a similar vein, to Paul D trees symbolize hope and faith. Back in his days on sweet farm, Paul D. found trees to be "things you could trust and be near, talk to if you wanted to" (Morrison 57). Additionally, as Paul followed the tree blossoms to freedom, to him they represent liberty and hope. However, to Sethe, trees represent something else entirely: pain and loss. The scars on Sethe’s back in the shape of a “chokecherry tree with a trunk that is red

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