Interpretive Possibilities in "Beloved"

Discuss the elements which keep interpretative possibilities open in Beloved. How far are these resolved or not by the end of the narrative? '...definitions belong to the definers not the defined.'(Beloved, p.190) When Sixo provides an explanation for shooting shoat on Mr Garner's property, this is schoolteacher's immediate and uncompromising reaction to the slave's attempt at self-justification. In the eyes of the white man, the slaves ('the defined') are not entitled to …

…comparative merits of language and of a vaguer, more meaningful sense of understanding are sensitively explored, especially when dealing with slavery. Morrison's relationship with her reader is rather coy: while tempting him towards an all-encompassing understanding of the text, she very gradually reveals that no such thing exists. Instead Morrison proves that while striving for comprehension is an inevitable and necessary human trait, searching for the perfect interpretation is challenging, never-ending and almost always futile.