❄️Open questions：
1. How to interpret “ the tree” on Sethe’s back?
first of all, “the tree” is not a real one here. it actually infer to a clump of scars on Sethe’s back caused by the boys who took her milk as well. whitegirl called it “a chockcherry tree” because they looked alike. it got trunks, branches and even leaves.
more importantly, both Sethe and Paul D had really sweet memories of trees in Sweet Home because it had more pretty trees than any farm around. Paul D often sat under it sometimes alone, sometimes with Halle or other Pauls or Sixo. Trees stand for good old days but “the tree” on Sethe back (scars) is a horrible nightmare to her. contrasting two concepts of trees, the author tried to tell readers a heartbreaking story of Sethe and made it more miserable.
2. What do “Boston and velvet”stand for in the book?
While Sethe was looking for Baby suggs’s house after running from Sweet Home, she met a whitegirl who was on her way to Boston to get some velvet. She said that velvet in Boston was the best. But as a slave, Sethe had never heard of it. Sethe couldn’t walk or even crawl, but Amy didn’t help her to stand up but asked her to try crawling and she just walk alongside her. white people took it for granted that black ones were not even human beings.they were just like dogs or something. here, in think Boston and velvet stand for the life of white people that Sethe, a black woman would never had.
3. Why does the author mention the color in a quilt for two times?
“there wasn’t any except for two orange squares in a quilt that made the absence shout.” Baby Suggs was eager to color,but Sethe deliberately had not missed it in the way Baby Suggs did, because the last color she remembered was the pink chips in the headstone of her baby girl, BELOVED. the color was a metaphor here for her dead girl.
❄️Language:
1. Sethe balled up her stocking and jammed them into her pocket.
2. unlace one’s shoes
3. Don’t go to any trouble on my account.
4. folded his hands behind his head.
5. I know a woman had her feet cut off they was so swole (short for swollen).
