Maternal Love

In the end of the first part of Beloved, we learn that Sethe was responsible for the death of Beloved. The mysterious baby that had haunted 124, had her throat slit by her own mother.

Paul D is horrified when he learns the truth about the death of Sethe's eldest daughter. He is unable to grasp or understand the reasons behind Sethe's motives. By telling her that she "got two feet...not four" (194), he is calling Sethe a beast for murdering one child and traumatizing her other children. Paul D fails to realize that Sethe actions were justified. Sethe killed her daughter and attempted to murder her other children once seeing the "four horsemen" approach her home. Sethe acted the way she did out of love; she knew that anything was better than being taken back to Sweet Home to live forever as a slave. The only option she could think of in that moment was to protect her children by killing them herself. She is putting her children before herself and risking being taken back to slavery. Sethe's behavior demonstrates her bravery and strong maternal love.

During the Progressive Movement in the U.S. in the early 1900s, there was an influx of immigrants. Many of the immigrants were late teens who came over without their parents, due to financial restrictions. While not as extreme as Sethe's actions, the parents sending their children to the U.S. by themselves in the early 20th century is comparative to Sethe's motives. The parents of the immigrants wanted a better life for their children and were willing to risk losing them forever for the sake of their well-being.

Mothers and fathers will go to extremes in order to protect their children and at the end of the day just want what is best for them.