Why did Ben have such a haunting effect on Libertie and her mother? What did he represent to Libertie?

After Ben's death, Libertie confesses she and Mama were "still haunted by Daisy and Ben". Why did he have such a haunting effect? What did he represent to Libertie?

Ben had an effect on Cathy because she treated the body and not the soul. I think Ben showed her that the soul also had to be treated. She did not understand that coming into freedom also took away identity. Libertie on the other hand, saw Ben's love for someone else and the influence of the water lady. She sought that love. She did not receive unconditional love from her mother.

I never understood why he had such a profound effect. Certainly there were others that had suffered as much as he had and that Libertie had been exposed to. I don't want to make light of the suffering but continuing to be pounded over the head by Ben go quite old.

I think Ben represented Cathy's fallibility to Libertie. Especially with how the book opened with Libertie telling us how her mother raised a man from the dead. When her mother failed to cure Ben, Libertie didn't believe in her mother as much.

Re: PinkLady. Ben entered Libertie's life when she was beginning her slow march into womanhood. Her mother was a saint in her eyes. Ben was the catalyst that forced Libertie to think of her mother differently. At the beginning of the story, Ben made sense. Escaping to freedom. He was physically free, and yet he was tortured. It gave Libertie an understanding, I think, of the whole person. Her mother treated the body. But the mind has to be free too. Ben's trauma was untreated and unescapable. I think Libertie struggled with her mother's limitations and the limitations of medicine that Ben represented. Healers heal the whole person.

Why did Ben have such a haunting effect on Libertie and her mother?
Libertie was intrigued by the fact that her mother appeared to have brought Mr. Ben “back from the dead”, but she could also relate to his deep melancholy and loneliness for Daisy. At a much deeper level, she could relate to Mr. Ben and all of his brokenness.
Libertie’s mother was troubled by the fact that she could treat Mr. Ben’s physical effects but could not treat the “mental effects” or the “spiritual effects.” She was determined to find a cure and he would be the subject of her diagnosis and exploration.

What did he represent to Libertie?
“What I wanted to say each time was, I wish I could be your friend, but this is too sad a start for friendship.”
“It was still another thing to care for someone like Mr. Ben, who was whole body, I knew, but of broken spirit.”

I think the effect Ben had on Cathy was that for the first time she was forced to accept that she could not heal/save everyone. It meant she was no longer on the pedestal that she had enjoyed, and that she was no longer “perfect” in Libertie’s eyes as well as others. As for Libertie, Ben represented the ability to love someone no matter what. I think this influenced her feelings for Emmanuel once she was in Haiti. She was not going to follow in Ben Daisy’s footsteps.

Ben was a catalyst for both Liberty and her Mothers faith in themselves. Cathy couldn’t heal Bens mind and so he knows her limitations now and is depressed by it. Liberty understands that her mothers medicine is not miraculous, it cannot heal trauma of the mind or heart. She also realizes Bens love for his sweetheart Daisy has overwhelmed his purpose to live. This scares Liberty and she cannot focus on a career that isn’t complete in her mind.

Along with being a doctor, Cathy works with her friend Madame Elizabeth to bring slaves to freedom. Cathy views her work as part of helping her people find freedom and equality. She is optimistic that the end of the Civil War will usher in a time of opportunity and freedom.
Instead, as Libertie later reflects [p286], Ben uses his newfound freedom "to choose the bottom of the water rather than its surface". As others have noted, Cathy is forced to reassess her ability to heal others; and Libertie begins to view both her mother and her future goals in a new light.

I fully agree with Navy Mom.

The soul was proven to be just as (if not more) important in treating (or in this case, being unable to treat) the Whole Person. This is jarring when you make it your life's work to treat just the Body. She even proclaims she doesn't treat the Soul.

Ben's demise symbolizes Cathy's limitations. This is upsetting to herself because she needs control. It is even more upsetting for Libertie because up to that point she likely saw her mother as infallible.

I'm not convinced that I can give a meaningful answer but...When Libertie's mother raised Ben "from the dead" it had a profound effect on Libertie & her belief in her mother. As the story evolves & Cathy AKA Mama AKA Doctor Swanson, is unable to cure Ben's mental illness, Libertie begins to see Mama in a different light - not the saint she & others perceived. Libertie begins to understand LOVE when she follows Ben Daisy through the time he is in their community.