Beloved

After Sethe learns the devastating news that Halle witnessed her sexual assault and disappeared following the traumatic sight, she leads Denver and Beloved to a place in the woods called the Clearing where Grandma Baby Suggs used to preach. As they make their way there, Sethe recalls the events following her giving birth on the run and Amy’s departure. She came across some Black men by the Ohio River, one of whom was named Stamp Paid, who gave her safe passage to the other side. There, she met a black woman named Ella. Ella explained that Stamp Paid left open a sty door as a sign that a fugitive enslaved person needed passage. He also tied a white rag on the post to indicate that Sethe was traveling with a newborn child. Ella came prepared with food and sustenance for Sethe and her newborn because of Stamp Paid’s signal. When Sethe finally arrived at Grandma Baby Suggs’s house, they embraced. Grandma Baby Suggs soaked Sethe’s feet and tended to the wounds on her back. Grandma Baby Suggs had made a life for herself as a preacher who spoke about Black people loving themselves after slavery.