Beloved as a Device

We have been debating in class, at different times in the novel, whether Morrison is referring to the created character Beloved or the novel Beloved. The character seems to just be a device to resolve the issues of the other characters in the novel. We discussed in class Beloved being a manifestation of many things for Sethe, including her repressed experiences. Without the character of Beloved, Sethe would not have reason to bring up or reveal her repressed memories. By using the character Beloved, Morrison is able to let, her otherwise more static characters, reveal what the novel is really about. When Beloved comes to 124 and needs help and her identity is ambiguous, it is more about her as a human being and the generosity of the family at 124. But as the novel progresses it becomes more about Sethe, Denver, and Paul D, not Beloved as a character. She loses her sense of being and becomes more of a device to link to the past. Morrison, having set up such a static environment and characters, she has to have Beloved come in and break the cycle: get Sethe to reveal what she is repressing, get Denver to leave the house, and get the community feelings about the house to be more positive.

                The novel does not lead the audience to feel much sympathy for Beloved as a person, but I am struggling to figure out why she has to be just a device and does not have her own relevance. At the end of the novel, once she has done all she was meant to do for the other characters in the novel, she is just able to run away. The characters are able to not think about her again and just let her run off being pregnant. I guess I just want a little more closure for that character, because she was such a significant presence for the other characters in the novel, that I think her outcome should matter, not just used as a device for the progression of the other characters.