For Morrison, history is a subject that she often reflects upon in the novel Beloved. One obvious connection between history and her novel is the inescapable horror of slavery and the impact it has on the characters, especially Sethe. At first glance, the tree on Sethe's back appears to represent nothing more than scars from a past beating. However, when analyzed more closely, the tree illustrates the need for characters to cope with the past in order to progress into the future.
It is explained in the book that Sethe was robbed of the very breast milk, which was meant for her young baby. She was caught and whipped by the school-teacher's boys of the plantation, who left her with "a tree on her back," a physical scar, a metaphorical
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