I think that we or anyone can't really argue if she was justified. I mean we could have a discussion about it and express our opinions but we can't say it was wrong. In my opinion Paul D was in the wrong for telling Sethe that she was wrong for doing what she did. He or anyone else especially us in the present day will never truly understand what Sethe had to go through. Yes, it is wrong to kill your children but she was killing them to save them. Which in a sick and deep way makes since to me. The children probably would have been better off dead then going through slavery. Are you really living if you aren't free? No. So death she felt was her only option. However, if Beloved really is the reincarnation of the dead baby and she isn't happy in the afterlife then what Sethe did was for nothing. But there was no real way for Sethe to know that so we can judge her for it.
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
Dangerous Love
Stamp Paid shows Paul D a newspaper clipping of Sethe but Paul D is convinced it is not her, "That it's not her mouth"(183). Paul D can not read so Stamp Paid tells him the story about Sethe leaving out some parts of the story so later Paul D confronts Sethe. When Paul D confronts Sethe the narrator describes, "And if she thought anything, it was No. No. Nono. Nonono. Simple. She just flew. Collected every bit of life she had made, all the parts of her that were precious and fine and beautiful, and carried, pushed, dragged them through the veil, out, away, over there where no one could hurt them. Over there. Outside this place, where they would be safe"(192). Sethe sees her decision to kill her children as "simple". She wanted to secure her children's safety and sending them back to Sweet Home was not safe. Also Sethe describes her children as "the parts of her that were precious and fine and beautiful". Therefore by allowing the teacher to take them back would be allowing him to destroy everything good about herself. After Paul D learns of what Sethe did he tries to find an explanation for it says she has two legs and not four, meaning she is not an animal. Paul D believes she can not justify what she did and she was wrong. My question is do you believe that Sethe was justified in trying to kill her children?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I totally agree with you! Paul D should have understand her motive but instead he adopted the same attitude as the rest of the town. I do not think that Sethe's decision was wrong either because in the end, like you mentioned, she was only trying to protect them -- and sometimes this means death.
ReplyDeleteI also think it was wrong of Stamp Paid to tell Paul D. Sethe's story. It was to Sethe to tell Paul D. and be allowed to explain her actions, not Stamp Paid. Until someone is in the same position as Sethe was, I don't think anyone, Stamp Paid and Paul D. included, is allowed to judge Sethe for her actions.
ReplyDeleteSeeing the line about how her children are "the parts of her that were precious and fine and beautiful" makes me wonder was her decision to kill them selfish? It seems like Sethe wouldn't have been able to live with herself had she let them go back to Sweet Home. Maybe this is justifiable though, considering how awful that life would've been for them? I'm not sure where I stand but it's certainly an interesting question.
ReplyDelete