Iron was mentioned in many instances in Beloved. Most of the time, iron seemed to represent some strong form of power or force on slaves and escaped slaves. In many cases it was mentioned preventing a person from being able to do something, such as breathing or moving. Iron was relentless and had a strong grip, which could not be broken. At the same time, iron represents the strength of certain people. For example Sethe was described as having an iron will. Iron was also the painful past that could not be avoided.
At first, iron seemed to be a strong withholding force on slaves and escaped slaves. When Paul D. was captured while he was trying to escape Sweet Home, he had an iron head piece which would not let him move his head. And as Paul D. was in the slave prison in Georgia, he was bound by iron chains which limited his movement. Also, Paul D. at one point had an iron bit in his mouth, taking his ability to speak away, and making him seem less human. These instances show that iron was portraying the strong unrelenting force of slavery which had no mercy on the slaves. And later on Sethe was chocked by an iron ring around her neck. In my opinion, this portrays the effects slavery has even on freed slaves; the impact of slavery was so great, it could not be forgotten and is very painful to remember.
Iron also portrayed a strong will of a person(s). Sethe had been described as having an iron will. Sethe also had a "glittering iron in her eyes" which was "punched out by schoolteacher" after he had arrived. In these two examples, iron can be viewed as a something inside of Sethe which kept her going, a strong will or a power which kept her alive. At the same time, this strong iron is taken away by schoolteacher as he completely changes her life by "taking the men out of the Sweet Home Men" and portraying Sethe as an animal. Iron is strong at one moment, but at the next moment, it is gone. Iron can also portray a false sense of security.