Indecision in Beloved

There is a sharp contrast between the decisive and indecisive in Beloved, with the positive emphasis falling on the indecisive. Beloved has a decisive love for Sethe and Sethe makes a decisive action when she kills her baby. These two parts of the story have a negative connotation, one of unrelenting emotion that takes over one's mind and strangles it. The decisive action also severs the household from the community, casting a shadow of isolation over 124. Paul D and Baby Suggs, however, are indecisive creatures, going where the wind takes them (or the flowers), and relying on the strength of their people to guide them. They do not experience perilous ends, but they do not achieve great things either. The only decision that is positive is Denver's decision to stop relying on the destructive half-love of Beloved and Sethe, who have no eyes for anyone but the other. Denver's actions portray the importance of rationality, and that one can be too decisive or too indecisive.