Continue reading Beloved. Wherever you are in the novel at this point,
read through the 8th chapter (count them...it should be the same in every
edition).
Post a response to the following question on your blogs: "Can the past
every truly die? Or, is the past always with us?" Discuss this question
with regard to Beloved, The Piano Lesson, and any other life experiences
you might find relevant.
The past cannot ever truly die and it will always be with us. I believe you can see that in every person in the choices they make because it influences the decisions they decide to make. We like to believe that we make rational decisions when we're truly irrational creatures; our experiences, that is our past, influences us. This is exemplified in both Beloved and The Piano Lesson: Sethe unwilling to move from the house and committing infanticide and Berneice unwilling to let go of the Piano. Moreover, the book's nonlinear format further exemplifies this because it goes to flashbacks without any sign beforehand, often leaving its readers confused. Morrison's intention may be to showcase how our past influences us.
Now in terms of physics: the past, present, and future is interesting in that they're all the same: having already occurred. Instead, because we're three-dimensional beings, we experience time in a linear fashion, sadly.
If our past were to be erased or "die," we'd be lost. You can clearly see that dementia, Alzheimer's, and retrograde amnesia. People afflicted with these struggle to live because they can't remember their past. Furthermore, it seems to make a valid case in that we don't want to forget the past no matter how tortuous it may have been.That's when the past truly dies, for the person at least and the fear is almost unfathomable unless you experience it for yourself.
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