Protection Through Destruction

When we took that survey before beginning Beloved there was one question that I was stuck on for awhile. I felt like there had to be circumstances in which a mother's love could lead to the destruction of her child, but I couldn't come up with any. My answer to the question was yes, but I felt slightly unsure about it, since I was unable to put myself in the shoes of the child or the mother. However, after reading the last few chapters of part one I now feel confident in my answer. Sethe killed her daughter entirely out of fear that her baby would have to endure what Sethe did while she was a slave. She sincerely believed that death was the better alternative to the misery of slavery. This action is one that I can only imagine a mother executing. A mother wants the best for her child no matter what the circumstances. Most of the time wanting your child to be happy doesn't come down to the decision of whether or not you should kill them, but now I understand the circumstances in which it could.