Thursday, November 2, 2017

Bittersweet Sex

For me so far, the most powerful passage in Beloved is the sex scene between Sethe and Paul D at the beginning of chapter 2. Sex, which is supposed to be this happy thing between 2 people who love each other has never felt so grimy. They pick a room very spontaneously. Sethe remembered the feeling of desire, helplessness and blindness as she enters. The room's description is very melancholy. There was 'sadness crouched in the corners'.
There are no words, they don't undress, everything that isn't the sex is described as an 'interference'. Everything is characterized by a complete lack of thought or consideration. They aren't making love, they're fucking. The two were guiltily indulging in one another. By the end, there was a distance between them. There was resentment and regret from both sides. The silence between them was uncomfortable. What were they to say? 
At times I find Beloved to be very difficult to follow, especially in the earlier chapters. But passages like this where Morrison manipulates language so beautifully makes it worth the trouble. 

4 comments:

  1. I agree with you in saying that after Sethe and Paul D had sex it was very awkward for both of them. It seemed as if they were both disgusted with what had just happened and were waiting for the other to make the first move. This is very interesting because at first it seemed as if they were both interested in each other.

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  2. I honestly agree with you about what you are saying about how the sex scene is a powerful message in the story so far. I noticed that the sex part between them was very weird and awkward. I also found Beloved difficult to follow at sometimes so you arent alone!

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  3. Totally agree here too. I think the sex scene was powerful because it was so uncomfortable. They both seem a bit disappointed and confused after because I think they were expecting more pleasure than they got out of the whole experience. I'm also really confused on the book, the timeline is so hard to follow.

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  4. This really slipped right past me. I had just treated it like they had built up their expectations so much over the years that they were disappointed by what it was actually like. But that seems a bit shaky, and doesn't line up with the themes of the book nearly as much as your interpretation does. Very insightful!

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