In Beloved, Toni Morrison incorporates new characters like Sethe to emphasize her point that you can't define yourself until you challenge your past and take ownership of it. Not all characters live up to Morrison's claims, some defy her and let others define them. Sethe struggles to face the true and honest past, but finds small moments of belonging. Sethe's struggle to regain her ownership blossoms from her past in Sweet Home. She was young when she first arrived at Sweet Home, the "six men" treated her with "light brotherly flirtation". Under the care of Mr. and Mrs. Garner, Sethe was well cared for. When it came time to get married, Mrs. Garner said everything was "fine" and Halle would be "good to her." Here Sethe has a small sense of being a “person” too. Sethe here defines herself as a woman, not as a slave, expressing herself by marrying even without much celebration. This self-definition is symbolically imprinted in the diamond earrings that Mrs. Garner presents to Sethe. In stark contrast to Mr. Garner and his wife, the teacher (the new teacher o...