Later in the novel, when Beloved returns in human form, it is Sethe's love and guilt that drives her almost obsessive actions directed at her child. Sethe's consuming behavior toward Beloved seems to be pushing Sethe towards her own deathbed. In the end, after Beloved disappears, it is implied that Sethe is following in Baby Suggs' footsteps and heading toward a similar death. However, love once again shows its strength in the form of Denver's love for her mother, and her protective actions when Sethe is being overwhelmed by Beloved. Denver gains the courage to leave 124 in order to gain employment so she can support their family. It is through these actions as well as the love of other friends, such as Paul D, that we are given hope that Sethe will be nursed back to health.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Love 2
Sethe's decision to attempt to kill her children was a means to protect them from the horrors of a life of slavery. She based this decision upon her deep seated belief that she and her family would be reunited after death in a better place. Her position as a slave had taken so much from her; her freedom, her identity as an individual, and being made to feel as if she was not a human, and merely there to serve her masters. The slaves learned to fear love because it could be taken from them too easily. “For a used-to-be-slave woman to love anything that much was dangerous, especially if it was her children she had settled on to love. The best thing, he knew, was to love just a little bit; everything, just a little bit, so when they broke its back or shoved it in a croaker sack, well, maybe you’d have a little love left over for the next one” (45). While her family was all together after arriving at 124 for the first time, she outwardly showed her love and her affection towards her children. But she soon learned that these feelings had to be guarded because of the fears of losing what little she had that surrounded her life. In reality Sethe never let go of the deep seated love that she had for her children. It was these feelings as well as her belief in a life after death that was the fuel that fired her decision to "protect" that which she loved by making the ultimate sacrifice, in her attempt to end her family's lives.
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I find it interesting that you mentioned how love is both dangerous and distructive, but also neurturing. Love caused Sethe to try to protect her children by killing them, and it caused Sethe to obsess over the reincarnate of her dead daughter to almost the point of death. However, in the end, when Paul D. gets over Sethe's past, he is able to let himself care for her in an unrestricted, neururing way. The whole concept has shifted. Love has always been strong, as you pointed out, but in the end of the story it is embraced rather than cowered from.
ReplyDeleteI think that it is an important fact to point out how much Denver has grown since the beginning of the novel. She became an independent young woman who takes initiative for herself. However, I do not think that Paul D. had much to do with her overall develpoement. She never really liked Paul D. and hated the way that he would talk to Sethe. Was it because of love from other people that Denver has changed, or was it her innate develpoement?
ReplyDeleteI can actually see now how love can be nurturing in Beloved. Re-reading my posts leads me to currently believe I have such a negative outlook on it in relation to the book. I see what you mean on the slow rejuvenation of Sethe when Paul D. comes in to help take care of Sethe during the night; definitely see it in Denver as Eric has said. She just got up and took off on resolving the past, and since she's one of the closest things left to Sethe... Yeah. I can see the connection now. As they say, become a beacon of light yourself, and you allow all around you to find the light and glow in its warming embrace. If Denver, who has not even experienced the Slavery bit but is every part of it to Sethe, manages to look at the future and start living day by day, it'll help Sethe any more. She, Sethe, sees that the days are not against her, and will help her getting out of the jaws of her past.
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