Toni Morrison is the author of Beloved, a novel about the past that literally comes back to haunt the present. The past appeared in the physical and mental realms as Beloved and memories of past lives. Toni Morrison uses the “tobacco tin” heart symbol to show how people repress memories. Paul D admits he has a rusty tin box in his chest, but he's not the only person hiding feelings. The community as a whole has buried feelings that don't surface until drastic measures are taken. In the novel, Paul D describes his heart as a tin can. He locked away his painful memories of Sweet Home and the prison camp. Paul D represses his feelings in hopes of avoiding further hurt. When Paul D witnesses the strong love Sethe has for Denver and the attachment she has for Beloved, he thinks Sethe is making a dangerous mistake: risky, Paul D thought, very risky. For a former enslaved woman to love something so much was dangerous, especially if she was determined to love her children. The best thing, he knew, was to love just a little; all just a little, so when they broke his back,... well maybe you'd have some love left for the next guy. (54) Paul D had fallen in love with Sethe, and because she had avoided pain for so long, not addressing how she felt or holding on so tightly, he wanted to protect Sethe from the pain she would feel if - when - Denver left. The tin tobacco box analogy can also be applied to the black community in the novel. When the teacher comes to take Sethe's children to Sweet Home, the community fails to warn her and Baby Suggs. There are abolitionists and Underground Railroad workers scattered throughout Cincinnati in this novel, so why wasn't Sethe warned? D... middle of paper... sung memories can hurt oneself and others. Feelings are to our heart what air is to a balloon. If you keep putting air into the balloon without releasing some every now and then, the balloon will burst. The same can be said, figuratively, of your heart. If you keep placing feelings in your hearts and never stop dealing with them, you will explode. You'll end up letting your feelings get in the way and stop you from taking care of yourself. Paul D let his feelings get in the way of loving Sethe, and the community let their resentment get in the way of helping Sethe. When it comes to taking care of yourself, “You are the best.” You really are.Works CitedSparkNotes Editors. (2002). SparkNote on Beloved. Retrieved November 15, 2013, from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/beloved/Toni Morrison. (1987). Novel. Retrieved November 15, 2013, from Amato.