My issue traces back to the final conversion before Paul D left, in which he declared Sethe's love for her children "too thick". This statement clearly hurts Sethe deeply and seems to sever any feelings she may have had for him. Although she ends up getting leeched nearly to death by Beloved, there's no indication she later regrets her extreme dedication to motherhood. There was no grand realization (if we're assuming Paul D's perspective) that caused her to repent or acknowledge any fault. She appears weak at the ending but in no way seems to have changed the very values that caused her disgust towards Paul D originally. His accusation of her being too loving directly contradicts the maternal passion that seemingly still defines her character. If this is the case, then why is she willing to talk to Paul D again, or even take him back? Or maybe her willingness to accept him is an indication that she has in fact changed?
I never really thought about why Sethe accepted Paul D back into her life as far as you and I think that it's really interesting. I think that part of the reason why Sethe re-accepted Paul D is because she lost Beloved, someone who she thought was her world. She thought that she had to work to justify herself as an apology to Beloved/her daughter. I think that with Denver growing up, she doesn't want to be alone, and though Paul D is not her child, she can still be motherly and caring towards him. Also, they have a sort of connection because they were at Sweet Home together and no one else is left (because we never find out where Halle is).
ReplyDelete