Comparison
Even though Beloved and Love are two very different books when it comes to main idea, it is very clear that Toni Morrison wrote both
books because of the writing style that shines through. The noticeable features of her writing style include similar metaphors, hints of
feminism, and also a similarity in the characters
In Love, one of the main metaphors used by the sisters to describe each other was the reference to a viper or to venom of some kind.
Starting on the very first page of Beloved, the baby is first compared to a snake when Morrison writes "a baby's venom" (1). Then towards
the middle of the book, the baby is again referred to as being "venomous"(104). The character relationships around the use of this particular
metaphor are also similar; in Beloved, Sethe is literally haunted by Beloved's ghost while Beloved is haunted by the memory of her mother
killing her, and in Love, the two sisters are figuratively haunted by each other and the fact that they cannot survive without each other.
Another similarity between the two novels is the characters and their location. In Love, the two sisters are stuck together in a house with
no men around. Nobody in the neighborhood liked to go near their house, and they were both related to a man that still ruled over their lives:
one was his wife before he had died, the other his granddaughter. Alos, during the book a teenage female character comes to reside at the
house without much warning and causes some type of trouble. In Beloved, Sethe and Baby Suggs live together in a house with no men
while they await the arrival of Halle: Sethe's husband and Baby Suggs' son. Then, a teenage girl comes to reside at the house after Baby Suggs
has already died, and this girl, Beloved, causes a lot of conflicts that mostly affect Sethe. So, while the story line in both books are very different,
the character placement and relationships are very similar.
The last major similarity between the books is the idea of feminism that is implied. In Beloved, Sethe basically lives her entire life raising her
children and taking care of the house by herself without any men. The same thing happens in Love with Christine and Heed living all alone in
their house and taking care of themselves. The only thing Christine ever really needed from men was love and attention, and when she could not
even get that she believed that she needed Heed to survive, but Christine was the one who took care of Heed. And, at the end of Beloved after
Paul D leaves, Sethe does not physically need for him to come back or therefore even want him, eliminating the man's role completely from her household.
books because of the writing style that shines through. The noticeable features of her writing style include similar metaphors, hints of
feminism, and also a similarity in the characters
In Love, one of the main metaphors used by the sisters to describe each other was the reference to a viper or to venom of some kind.
Starting on the very first page of Beloved, the baby is first compared to a snake when Morrison writes "a baby's venom" (1). Then towards
the middle of the book, the baby is again referred to as being "venomous"(104). The character relationships around the use of this particular
metaphor are also similar; in Beloved, Sethe is literally haunted by Beloved's ghost while Beloved is haunted by the memory of her mother
killing her, and in Love, the two sisters are figuratively haunted by each other and the fact that they cannot survive without each other.
Another similarity between the two novels is the characters and their location. In Love, the two sisters are stuck together in a house with
no men around. Nobody in the neighborhood liked to go near their house, and they were both related to a man that still ruled over their lives:
one was his wife before he had died, the other his granddaughter. Alos, during the book a teenage female character comes to reside at the
house without much warning and causes some type of trouble. In Beloved, Sethe and Baby Suggs live together in a house with no men
while they await the arrival of Halle: Sethe's husband and Baby Suggs' son. Then, a teenage girl comes to reside at the house after Baby Suggs
has already died, and this girl, Beloved, causes a lot of conflicts that mostly affect Sethe. So, while the story line in both books are very different,
the character placement and relationships are very similar.
The last major similarity between the books is the idea of feminism that is implied. In Beloved, Sethe basically lives her entire life raising her
children and taking care of the house by herself without any men. The same thing happens in Love with Christine and Heed living all alone in
their house and taking care of themselves. The only thing Christine ever really needed from men was love and attention, and when she could not
even get that she believed that she needed Heed to survive, but Christine was the one who took care of Heed. And, at the end of Beloved after
Paul D leaves, Sethe does not physically need for him to come back or therefore even want him, eliminating the man's role completely from her household.