In this blog, I am going to be writing about an Honors class assignment, which was to read a good book with a lot of meaning behind it, and the literary devices used in that book to draw out the theme of the story. The book that I read was one called Beloved, by Toni Morrison, a writer with a very unique and interesting style, and I will be writing it assuming that you, the reader, will have at least the general idea of the book's plot line.
I would like to start, by stating what I think is the theme of the story. The theme of the story that I picked up, was the memories might be forgotten temporarily, but they never really go away. It was first pointed out to me in the beginning, during a part where the main character was explaining that "Some things you forget. Other things you never do. But it's not. Places, places are still there. If a house burns down, it's gone, but the place--the picture of it--stays, and not just in my rememory, but out there, in the world." The literary device used in this quote is character development. Now while that may not be quite so evident at first glance, if you really look at it, you will find what it is really saying. What I see it saying is that even if something that happened in your past, or even someone else' past for that matter, will have some sort of effect on your life. It is also not always direct either, because even if you "forget" what happened in the past, the physical thing will still always be there somewhere, whether it be where the event happened, or locked up under your kitchen sink, some remnant will always be there to remind you if you ever stumble on it again.
One major thing that is stumbled on many times in this book, and should be regarded as a major event in the stories time line, is the death, haunting and resurrection of the character Beloved. The character starts off as a ghost, but you quickly learn that it died as a child in the house, and no one knows why it stays and haunts. The reason this relates to the theme is because the baby gets exorcised out of the house not long after you learn about it, and then comes to life as a real living breathing person in part two of the book. Now the literary device that I found quite profound yet at the same time subtle, was the way that the style of writing changes from part one to part two of the book. In part one, the book keeps an nonrhythmic poem, slightly artistic to the keen reader, but not taking anything away from the main story. But, when the book goes from part one to part two, the book turns to more of a free verse, regular book style of writing. I feel as if this is a literary device that is almost critical to know about, because it is hidden, but it gives the book a different feel, depending on if it is at a positive or negative point in the story. I think that it was implemented very well by the author, and I really do like the way that it was done.
The last literary device that I would like to discuss would be the symbolism within the book. Being half poetry, there is bound to be symbolism in it. The specific symbol I found the most meaningful was the scars on Sethe, the protagonist's, back. It is described in such a manner that is unforgettable. It is described as a chokecherry tree, showing the reader exactly how it looks. Explaining how the roots of the tree grow up into a trunk, then sprout into branches, complete with leaves, sap and the rest of the works on a tree. It helps drive the theme out further by giving yet another vibrant example of a memory that might be forgotten, but will still always remain.
In conclusion, the methods used to bring out the theme of this book focused heavily on character development, yet also included devices such as symbolism and writing style changes.
