Strawberry Leaves

        “Beloved was shining and Paul D didn’t like it. Women did what strawberry plants did before they shot out their thin vines: the quality of the green changed. Then the vine threads came, then the buds. By the time the white petals died and the mint-colored berry poked out, the leaf shine was gilded tight and waxy. That’s how Beloved looked - gilded and shiny” (76).

        In this passage at the beginning of the seventh chapter, Paul D describes Beloved - the mysterious young woman who has shown up at Sethe’s house, who bears the same name of her dead daughter - like a strawberry plant. When she is described this way, she seems more like a beautiful picture than a person - pleasing to the eye - but Paul D does not mention anything other than the color of the leaves. Moreover, because Paul D claims that only women develop like this, he is generalizing and further objectifying Beloved.

        Paul D could also be referring to Beloved’s personality, as when she first arrived at the house she was ill and unaccustomed to her new life, but now she seems to be unfurling like a young leaf. This quote chronicles the maturation of the strawberry plant, a berry that has many positive connotations, as it is red and sweet. From seedling to grown plant with waxy, dark leaves, this passage depicts Beloved’s journey from childhood to the young woman she is now.

        The use of the word “gilded” is vivid and memorable when used in this passage, because gilded means to be covered in gold leaf, even as Paul D is referring to leaves, which are typically green. The image of the green strawberry leaves with gold accents, something not typical of strawberry plants, highlights Beloved’s inner, unique beauty that she is developing at this point in the book.