Discuss the theme of "loss "in Beloved

The concept of death and loss is an overlying theme in the story. Not only was seeing someone die familiar, but it was expected that anyone near you would die; that is why the slaves were warned not to bond with anyone including their children.

Sethe saw her mother hanged; Paul D saw Sixo shot to death and in the prison men were shot dead on the spot. The men at Sweet Home were taught to be hard to death. By killing her daughter Sethe believed she was keeping the child safe. To Sethe, having freed her child through death was better than having that child live as a slave.

From the perspective of Sethe’s other children, death was seen as something to be frightened of. They feared their mother after knowing what she was capable of. Howard taught Denver how to kill Sethe if she needed to.

In the description of what death was to Beloved the author provided images of men with no skin, faces, crouching together, being pulled through. Beloved was able to see her mother’s smile, her reflection through the water but never able to reach it.