Past and Present in 12 Years a Slave and Beloved

Kristen O’Connor

ENGL 345

Blog Post #4

11/25/14

Past and Present in 12 Years a Slave and Beloved

I noticed a lot of similarities between 12 Years a Slave and Beloved. They are both present stories intertwined with the past (and sometimes rather confusingly so). The moments of present and past blend together as if they are one—and I suppose they are. The past haunts both Solomon and Sethe, though in very different ways.

With Beloved, the past is preserved in actuality. It is shown through the tree on Sethe’s back, and through the character Beloved. It is a physical being that haunts Sethe and fills the house with ghosts. Morrison tells the story as a flowing narrative that keeps Sethe, though far from her years as a slave, a slave to the past and a slave to what was. The past and the present are essentially one being. They cannot be removed from one another.  Sethe even states, “I was talking about time. It's so hard for me to believe in it. Some things go. Pass on. Some things just stay.”

In 12 Years a Slave, the past is of happiness, family, freedom, etc. And it is not always as inherently present as it is in Beloved. Instead, I noticed small parallels between Solomon the free man and Solomon the slave. These were sometimes closely linked scenes, playing one right after the other, but others were more distant—and I would argue they become more distant later in the film, showing Solomon’s distance between the man he used to be and what he was forced to become as a slave. I think the largest of these parallels were made with the violin—as he once played for a career, and then for entertainment of his master. But this violin is similar the tree-like scar for Sethe. It is the lingering of the past into the present.

Unlike Sethe in Beloved, I’m not sure if the past is a hindrance or an aid to Soloman. Clearly, his past was much brighter than Sethe’s, as he was living life as a free man with a family, but does this past encourage him to continue on as a slave until an opportunity for freedom arises? At first, his adamancy that he was a free man from the North resulted in beatings, so was his silence and conformity learned for simple survival or for a hope he would someday gain what he had already left behind?  I’m not sure of the answer. And, I’m not sure if it’s that black and white.

 Soloman’s past seems to be less an element to the plot than it is a portrayal of character. Morrison’s Beloved takes distinct aim at incorporating the past in all this is the present. Sethe is the way she is because of her past. Yet, Soloman must hide his past—his literacy, his freedom, his reputation. And unlike the scar on Sethe’s back, Soloman smashes his violin, erasing its existence. So, the past plays a very different role in 12 Years a Slave than in Beloved; it is less obtainable and less intense (and even deniable) in the small, short glimpses that it is shown. However, I wouldn’t say the importance is lesser. I’m just still trying to figure out what importance the past has on Solomon as a character. Thoughts?