The Symbolism of Water in Beloved and Lemonade
Elyse Landry
In literature, water has been used as a common symbol throughout history. Water most frequently symbolizes rebirth, whether it is mentally or through a cleansing and healing process. It has also been used as a symbol of power and grace. It is acknowledged that water in any form plays a vital role in the construction and upkeep of the physical world. Books such as Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway, Jaws by Peter Benchley, and the auto-biography Soul Surfer all contain the recurrent symbolism of water. In Moby-Dick, Ishmael is reborn once he realizes that his future is unpredictable after his journey at sea. In The Old Man and the Sea, a fisherman’s bad luck is broken, and he gains more pride as a person and fisherman when a large fish carries him out to sea. This message relates to Lemonade because once Beyoncé emerges from the water, she strives to break the generational curse of looking up to a man to feel safe and begins to find God in herself. Overall, Beyoncé finds pride in herself, similar to how the fisherman does. In Jaws, three men survive death and find clarity in their perspective on life. In the autobiography Soul Surfer, Bethany Hamilton has a life transformation after her arm gets bitten off in a shark attack. Bethany does not let this hold her back, and she decides to inspire others and pursue her dreams of being a surfer. Throughout these examples, the symbol of water is shown through bodies of water, specifically the ocean.
In Beloved and Lemonade, water is used to symbolize rebirth. In Lemonade, Beyoncé falls off the top of a building. Even though it looks like she is about to hit the ground, she is caught by water. This scene is a symbol of Beyoncé’s first baptism, her rebirth. It is a representation of her new beginning. In Beloved, water serves as a birthplace to Denver and Beloved. When Sethe sees the face of the girl stranger on the porch of 124, her bladder immediately fills. Beloved states, “But there was no stopping water breaking from a breaking womb, and there was no stopping now.” (61). When this happens to Sethe, it represents the rebirth of her dead daughter. Throughout Beloved and Lemonade, the symbolism of water stays the same, even though it is shown in different ways, except for one scene. Beloved notes, “A fully dressed woman walked out of the water.” (60). This part of Beloved is similar to when Beyoncé emerges from a set of double doors in a bright yellow dress in Lemonade. In this scene, Beyoncé is Oshun, the Nigerian, Cuban and Brazilian orisha of sweet water, sexuality, and creativity. As water rushes out around Beyoncé and down the stairs in front of her, she continues to walk, showing power and symbolizing her new beginning. These parts within Lemonade and Beloved are a symbol of resurrection and rebirth.
In the book, Tougher Than the Rest: 100 Best Bruce Springsteen Songs by June Skinner Sawyers, she describes the stories behind Springsteen’s songs. Bruce Springsteen’s song “Spare Parts” tells the story of an unwed mother named Janey who is supporting a child on her own. Janey hears a story of how a young mother committed infanticide, and she considers doing the same by drowning her son in the river. “Instead of drowning her child, she baptizes him — “help her son down at riverside” in waist-deep water — and indeed herself into a new life.” (Sawyers 23) The baptismal action at the river symbolizes rebirth, not only for the mother but for her son as well. Father Andrew Greeley states, “He is using light and water as symbols of rebirth.” Not only does Springsteen use water as a sign of baptism and rebirth in this song, but also light as a sign of God. The symbolism of water relates to that in Beloved and Lemonade, but the song’s storyline also relates to these other two pieces. The song’s storyline relates to the same of Beloved because Sethe killed her two-year-old daughter, but the daughter was reborn when she walked out of the water, just like Janey decided to baptize her son instead of drowning him, which created a new beginning. When Beyoncé jumps off the building but finds herself saved by water, it becomes a sign of rebirth and clarity, which relates to Janey almost killing her son but baptizing him and creating a new life. Bruce Springsteen’s song focuses on clarity in life and the opportunities rebirth can give.
