When we find out something new about somebody else, whether it is an action, belief or behavior, it has the potential to influence our perception of that person. As the knowledge of these actions, beliefs or behaviors may cause someone’s perception of another to change, one may keep secrets. The act of holding a secret is showcased in the texts Naomi and Beloved. In both Naomi and Beloved, the characters withhold a secret due to the fear of the result if the secret were revealed. In these texts, the initial impact of the revelation of a secret is shown to be negative, but the revelation ultimately proves positive, signifying the message that the short term harm of revealing a secret is outweighed by the long term benefits.
In Naomi, Naomi holds the secret from Joji about other men she is romantically involved with. Joji firsts gains air of this secret from his co-workers when they tell him “she’s been playing fast and free with some Keio students” (pg. 115). When Joji hears this, he initially feels uncomfortable, stating “my feet didn’t touch the ground until I reached the muddy street and was struck by the cold rain. I fled toward the Ginza, afraid that something was following me.” Yet, Joji was reluctant about the information he heard, stating “but surely,… surely it wasn’t true. Naomi was too forward, but she had a noble character” (pg. 116).
To find out if what his co- workers said was true, Joji spies on Naomi and finds her flirting and acting in a sexual manner with men where “they all wiggled their hips together” (pg. 141). Eventually, Joji finds out that Naomi is cheating on him when he sees “her go into the Daybreak Pavilion [and] Kumagai came along about ten minutes later” (pg. 169). As Naomi is fearful for the implications that would occur if Joji found out about her being romantically involved with other men, Naomi withholds this secret from Joji.
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After Joji discovers Naomi’s secret, the initial impact is negative. Once Joji catches Naomi cheating on him, he kicks her out of his house. However, after Naomi leaves him, Joji begins to miss Naomi, and becomes depressed from it. Consequently, he wishes to have Naomi back, thinking about “how happy I’d be if I could… put her on my back and crawl around the room” (pg. 174). From his broken heart, Joji is stated to be “incapable of doing anything… unable to sleep, eat, or go out” (pg. 188).
As for Naomi, she experienced a lot of instability seen by the fact that “she’s not in just one place; she’s moving around” (pg. 189). Eventually this instability results in a miserable situation for Naomi when she was seen wearing “a common silk garment… for days [with a] dirty collar and the knees protruded” (pg. 205). From the emotions Joji experiences and the consequential actions, as well as the instability Naomi experiences, the revelation of a secret is shown to initially have a negative impact on both parties.
With the revelation of the secret, Joji and Naomi are better able to understand each other’s actions and desires. With Naomi returning to Joji, it is shown that she views living with Joji to be the best course of action instead of the instability she was experiencing. When Naomi comes back to Joji, she proposes for them to “forget all about our past and just be friends” (pgs 214-215) to which Joji agrees.
At first, this doesn’t result in the happiest relationship as Naomi tantalizes Joji by flirting with him, but never letting Joji to act sexually toward her. Yet, Joji is stated that he “looked forward to [the flirtations]” (pg. 219) signifying a higher sense of satisfaction in regards to the relationship compared to the paranoia and hysteria he felt previously in their relationship. The relative satisfaction in the relationship that Joji feels is showcased when he rejects Naomi’s proposal to “get another wife” (pg. 225).
Once the dust settles and the new relationship is formed between Joji and Naomi with a clearer understanding of both of their needs and wants, Joji states that he’s “in love with Naomi” (pg. 237), showing Joji’s pleasure from their new relationship. After some time passes after the revelation of Naomi’s secret, Joji develops a better understanding of her, with Naomi also calculating that living with Joji is the best option for her. This allows them to form a mutually beneficial relationship that makes both of them happier.
In Naomi, Naomi withholds information that she is intimate with other men from Joji. Once Joji finds out about this secret, he orders Naomi to leave, causing him to feel miserable. From this revelation. Joji feels morose from Naomi’s broken trust, but misses her at the same time. However, the revelation allows Joji to have a better understanding of his relationship with Naomi, as well as allowing Naomi to figure that living with Joji is the best situation for her.
As a result, they are able to properly express their desired relationship dynamic when she returns. Even though his new relationship with Naomi is not the ideal relationship Joji would wish for, it is nevertheless satisfactory for Joji compared with his previous relationship with Naomi. On the other hand, Naomi’s relationship with Joji is the best suited option for her wants and needs. While the revelation of Naomi’s secret was initially devastating to Joji and created an unstable situation for Naomi, the revelation of the secret allowed them to understand each other’s needs and wants, allowing them to form a new relationship that is more satisfactory for the both of them.
In Beloved, Sethe holds the secret from Paul D that she killed her baby. Paul D finds out about this secret from Stamp Paid when he “made up his mind to show him this piece of paper- newspaper- with a drawing of a woman who favored Sethe.” When Paul D hears this, he refuses to believe that the newspaper is depicting Sethe, stating, “This ain’t her mouth. I know her mouth and this ain’t it” (pg. 183).
After Paul D reflected his doubts to Stamp, “Stamp looked into Paul D’s eyes and the sweet conviction in them almost made him wonder if… a pretty little slavegirl had recognized a hat, and split into the woodshed to kill her children” (pg. 186). To find out if what Stamp said was true, Paul D showed Sethe the newspaper clipping. When confronted with the newspaper clipping, Sethe confessed that she “took and put my babies where they’d be safe” (pg. 193). Because Sethe is afraid of how Paul D would judge her if he found out that she killed her child, she kept this information as a secret from him.
When Paul D finds out that Sethe has been deceiving him by keeping the secret from him, he leaves her. To express the disbelief he felt, he tells her “you got two feet, Sethe, not four” (pg. 194) when he leaves. From Paul D’s departure, “124 was back like it was before Paul D came to town – worrying Sethe and Denver with a pack of haunts [that could be heard] from the road” (pg. 200). The empty mood is shown when Sethe thinks to herself, “every bit of [the sun- splashed life that the shadows holding hands on the road promised her] had disappeared” (pg. 204). Paul D also experiences a worse situation as he is forced to “sleep in the church [where] it’s cold as charity” (pg. 219). With the departure of Paul D, the living situation of both Sethe and Paul D worsen, indicating that the initial impact of the revelation of Sethe’s secret was negative.
After Paul D was able to think about the secret that Sethe revealed to him and why she kept the secret from him, he decides to go back to Sethe. While Paul D was initially uncomfortable with Sethe’s actions in killing her child, he becomes sympathetic toward her after he hears why she committed the gruesome action. This occurs when Stamp tells Paul D that the reason Sethe, “love those children” and she committed the action in order to “out-hurt the hurter” (pg. 276). When he better understands Sethe and the reasoning behind her actions, he returns back to her, telling her that he wants to have “some kind of tomorrow” (pg. 322) with her. This shows that Paul D becomes committed to creating a future with Sethe after the revelation of her secret and the formation of his understanding of the justification of the action. With the situation becoming more beneficial for Paul D and Sethe from committing to work together to better their future after his return, the overall impact of the revelation of a secret is shown to be positive.
In Beloved, Sethe keeps the secret that she killed her child from Paul D. The withholding of the secret signifies a deception of not only Paul D, but herself as well as she struggles to confront the actions of her past. This discomfort is evidenced with her “circling him the way she was circling the subject” (pg. 189). After Paul D finds out about Sethe’s secret, he leaves her. This harms Sethe as she feels distraught that Paul D left her when she thought he would unconditionally support her as well as Paul D due to his worsened living situation.
However after Paul D leaves, both of them realize how much they need each other and how they benefit from their mutual support. While both Sethe and Paul D are still suffering from their past, as well as their present impoverished position, they are nevertheless in a better state than they were before Paul D arrived at Sethe’s house after he returns back to Sethe. This indicates that the deception Sethe was inflicting on Paul D, as well as her herself was harmful as the revelation of her secret created the end result of a better situation for both Paul D and Sethe.
While the secrets that were revealed in Naomi and Beloved were very different, the impact of the revelation of the secrets were very similar. The secret in Naomi concerned Naomi’s relationship with Joji and her disregarding it, while the secret in Beloved concerned an action Sethe performed in the past and the morality behind it. After the revelation of the secret, both the secret keeper as well as the person that the secret was being kept from experienced negative situations, largely due to the fact that the secret was being withheld for a significant time period. However, as both parties were able to reflect on the revelation of the secret, they began to understand the role that the secret played in the relationship the two parties had with each other, and deliberated how they could work with the revealed secret and support each other. The revelation of the secret in both cases resulted in a more positive situation than before the secret was revealed.
With this, the idea that it is beneficial in the long run to perform an action, such as revealing a secret, despite harms that occur in the short term, is displayed. Most of the harms from the revelation of the secret occurred from the initial shock that the secret was withheld from the other person. In both of the texts, the person who the secret was being kept from felt dramatic reactions as a result of the fact that they were unaware of the secret despite the significant amount of time they have spent with the other person. This displays the idea that it is preferable to reveal a secret to the other person immediately instead of keeping the secret.
In addition, as the secret in Beloved signified a sense of deception, not only to the person that the secret was being kept from, but the secret keeper as well, the idea that confronting a secret rather than repressing it is showcased. Despite the difference in the secrets that were being kept in Naomi and Beloved, both texts reflect the ideas that it is preferable not to deceive others, as well as oneself, with a secret but if there are any secrets being kept, the long term benefits of its revelation outweigh the short term harms.
In the texts Naomi and Beloved, the revelation of a secret is displayed as a major point in their plots. While the secrets evident in both of these texts are remarkably different, the message regarding the revelation of the secret is similar between the two texts. At first, the initial impact of the revelation of the secret was negative, largely due to the time that was spent being kept from the other person. However as time went on, both parties realized what the revelation of the secret meant in regards to their relationship. Because of this, both parties were able to better understand each other’s needs and wants, making the end result of the revelation of the secret positive. This showcases the idea in both Naomi and Beloved that one should not deceive others, as well as themselves with a secret. As such, both texts reflect that the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term harms with the revelation of a secret.
