To some, living might simply be put in terms of having a constant heartbeat and being able to fill your lungs with air at any given moment, but is that really enough to define and fulfill a human life?
For many, this is not the case. Freedom is an intangible and fluid concept, yet to truly live, one must have some form of it. If you indeed have a constant and reliable heartbeat, but no way to achieve your dreams, be with the person you love, or keep your owner/s from selling your dearest family members away, then what type of life is that? Similarly, if you constantly get flogged and assaulted for the slightest mistakes, then is that a life worth living?
From this perspective, we can assume that:
Death = No Freedom = Being a slave
So can we really judge Sethe for making the decision to kill her children rather than watch them suffer through one of the worst types of lives one could possibly live? To her, death is comparable to being a slave- maybe even better because of what the "other side" may have to offer. If truly living does indeed include the concept of at least a minimal amount of freedom as described before, which is not granted to a slave, is Sethe killing her children really unconstitutional, especially when the "other side" may offer them a better life?
I agree with you completely. I believe that Sethe is absolutely justified in her actions and should receive no punishment or backlash. She was doing the right thing for her children.
ReplyDeleteI agree with most of what you said. I think that death is even better than being a slave because you are released from the pain of slavery. A slaves life is dehumanize, living a life like this is not truly living.
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