“He saw them boys do that to me and let them keep on breathing air? He saw? He saw? He saw?”
He saw. But what could he do? To make a successful escape, Halle knew that he couldn’t intervene. It wasn’t because he was a coward, in fact I believe that he let that happen because he truly truly loved her. Paul D said it killed Halle; it changed him. Making the choice to end her long term suffering instead of her immediate suffering broke him.
This kind of sacrifice -sacrificing another for the bigger picture- seems to be a pattern in the book. If you haven’t read yet, I won’t spoil it.
Anyways, now that Sethe knows, she’s really upset. Obviously. The emotional toll of the event is probably clouding her perspective. Even worse, Halle isn’t there to explain. He’s not there to tell her how much it hurt to watch, to tell her that he did it because he loved her. His memory is considerably more tainted and Sethe is even more sad and confused.
Paul, Paul, Paul… what were you thinking?
This isn’t looking good for Paul D. Actually it makes him kind of an ass. Simply put, he steals his best bud’s gal, then talks smack about him after he’s dead. Two counts of Bro Code violation.
But maybe not. Maybe he thought he was defending Halle, defending Halle for disappearing.
Did he do it for Halle, or did he do it for himself?
I like your question at the end of your post. I was wondering the same thing while reading this part. At first I was pretty sure Paul D was just trying to defend Halle and make Sethe feel better, but now that I know more about Paul D's character, I'm leaning more towards the side of him acting selfishly in order to maintain/grow his relationship with Sethe.
ReplyDeleteI'm on the same page with Hannah. I wanted Paul D. to be defending Halle and easing Sethe's pain in doing so, but after I have read more and gained more insight into Paul D.'s motives, I must admit I could see his selfish motivation.
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ReplyDeleteNice post. I'd like to think that Paul D. did it for Halle and Sethe both. I think he wanted to make sure he told Sethe the truth and let her have a bit of closure with her relationship with Halle. He did attempt to justify Halle's actions as well. I think the fact that he knew Halle witnessed the crime against Sethe in the the barn haunted Paul D. and he had to tell Sethe to relieve himself of his guilt. So maybe in this regard he did do it for himself.
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