Beloved :: essays research papers

In Toni Morrisons novel, Beloved, the main character Sethe, is a former buckle downwho chooses to kill her baby girl rather than yielding her to be exposed to thephysically, and emotionally damaging horrors of a behavior spent in slaveholding. There isno separate way to say it she hited her child. By killing her child, so dear to herheart, the question arises whether Sethe acted out of neat love or egotisticness.The fact that Sethes act is absurd can easily be decided upon. Does Sethe killher baby girl because she wants to save the baby from slavery or does Sethe endher daughters life because of a selfish refusal to reenter a life of slavery? Byexamining the complexities of Sethes character it can be said that she is a charwoman who chooses to love her children but not herself. Sethe kills her babybecause, in Sethes mind, her children are the only good and pure part of whoshe is and must be protected from the cruelty and the " uncleanness" ofslavery(Morrison 251In th is respect, her act is that of love for her children. Theselfishness of Sethes act lies in her refusal to accept personal responsibility forher babys death. Sethes motivation is dichotomous in that she displays her loveby mercifully forbear her daughter from a horrific life, yet Sethe refuses to tell apart that her show of mercy is also murder. Throughout Beloved, Sethes character consistently displays the duplistic natureof her actions. Not long later on Sethes reunion with Paul D. she describes herreaction to School Teachers comer "Oh, no. I wasnt going back thereSweetHome. I went to jail instead"(Morrison 42) Sethes words suggest that she hasmake a moral stand by her refusal to allow herself and her children to be draggedback into the evil of slavery. From the beginning, it is clear that Sethe believesthat her actions were morally justified. The peculiarity of her statement lies in heromission of the unspeakable fact that her moral stand was based upon the murder ofher child. By not even approaching the subject of her daughters death, it is alsomade clear that Sethe has detached herself from the act. pull down when Paul D. learns of what Sethe has done and confronts her with it,Sethe still skirts the reality of her past. Sethe describes her debate to Paul D.,"... So when I got here, even before they let me get out of bed, I stitch her aBeloved essays research papers In Toni Morrisons novel, Beloved, the main character Sethe, is a former slavewho chooses to kill her baby girl rather than allowing her to be exposed to thephysically, and emotionally damaging horrors of a life spent in slavery. There isno other way to say it she murdered her child. By killing her child, so dear to herheart, the question arises whether Sethe acted out of true love or selfishness.The fact that Sethes act is irrational can easily be decided upon. Does Sethe killher baby girl because she wants to save the baby from slavery or does Sethe endher daughters life bec ause of a selfish refusal to reenter a life of slavery? Byexamining the complexities of Sethes character it can be said that she is awoman who chooses to love her children but not herself. Sethe kills her babybecause, in Sethes mind, her children are the only good and pure part of whoshe is and must be protected from the cruelty and the "dirtiness" ofslavery(Morrison 251In this respect, her act is that of love for her children. Theselfishness of Sethes act lies in her refusal to accept personal responsibility forher babys death. Sethes motivation is dichotomous in that she displays her loveby mercifully sparing her daughter from a horrific life, yet Sethe refuses toacknowledge that her show of mercy is also murder. Throughout Beloved, Sethes character consistently displays the duplistic natureof her actions. Not long after Sethes reunion with Paul D. she describes herreaction to School Teachers arrival "Oh, no. I wasnt going back thereSweetHome. I went to jail instead&qu ot(Morrison 42) Sethes words suggest that she hasmade a moral stand by her refusal to allow herself and her children to be draggedback into the evil of slavery. From the beginning, it is clear that Sethe believesthat her actions were morally justified. The peculiarity of her statement lies in heromission of the horrifying fact that her moral stand was based upon the murder ofher child. By not even approaching the subject of her daughters death, it is alsomade clear that Sethe has detached herself from the act.Even when Paul D. learns of what Sethe has done and confronts her with it,Sethe still skirts the reality of her past. Sethe describes her reasoning to Paul D.,"... So when I got here, even before they let me get out of bed, I stitched her a