Symbolic Healing in Beloved Toni Morrison's powerful novel Beloved is based on the consequences of slavery and the horrible burden of slavery's hidden sins. Morrison chooses to portray characters brutalized in the life of slavery as strong-willed and capable of overcoming such trauma. This is made possible by the healing of many significant characters, especially Sethe. Sethe is relieved from the painful agony of escaping Sweet Home and dealing with pregnancy with the help of young Amy Denver and Baby Suggs. Paul D's contribution to symbolic healing occurs in an attempt to help her erase the past. Denver plays the most significant role in Sethe's recovery as she brings community support to her mother and reclaims her own individuality in the process. Putting her trust in others is the only way Sethe can free herself from her haunted past and her ailing body. Morrison demonstrates that overcoming the scars of slavery requires placing oneself in the hands of those who love them, rather than facing painful memories alone. It's no surprise to see that Sethe named her second daughter after the young girl who saved her. both their lives. Amy Denver, a white housekeeper on the run to Boston, gave encouragement and relief to Sethe's swollen feet and helped her crawl to safety. As Sethe lay dying on the uncomfortable ground, Amy approached her. “She [Amy] gathered rocks, covered them with more leaves, and had Sethe put her feet on them…then she did magic: she lifted Sethe's feet and legs and massaged them until she cried salty tears” ( Morrison, 35). Amy is free from the growing need to abuse slaves, and this ignorance proves beneficial. U…middle of the paper…brings Sethe, and in return, Sethe chooses to accept their attempts at healing and walks away from Beloved. Slavery is and will always be within Sethe. She was born a slave and raised a slave. Crossing a river to freedom does not change the torturous bonds of slavery. The emotional barriers that slavery imposes on people leave different effects, but one thing remains common: the feeling of no self-worth. Not all people are as fortunate as Sethe to have people in their lives to help overcome such obstacles. With the help of Amy, Denver, Baby Suggs, Paul D, and others on her journey, Sethe is able to overcome the impossible and overcome her past with a life of love and acceptance. Works Cited Furman, Jan. Toni Morrison's Fiction. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1996. Morrison, Toni. Beloved. New York, Penguin Books USA Inc, 1998.