Out-hurting the Hurter

When we learn that Sethe attempted to kill all of her children, I'm sure that we were all a bit on edge. Since we experience a lot of her point of view, I definitely missed some signals that may have foreshadowed Sethe's actions. When Paul D finds out about what Sethe did from Stamp Paid, his first reaction is denial. He continually says it "ain't her mouth" (185), but eventually, accepts the truth. His immediate thoughts match those of the rest of the community around 124. They no longer want to be near Sethe and no longer see 124 as a sanctuary, but a curse.

Since Stamp Paid told Paul D, I assumed that he felt the same way about Sethe and her actions based on his clear avoidance of 124 after spending so much time there. Yet, later on, when Stamp Paid sees Paul D drinking at the church where he's staying, he attempts to defend Sethe and her actions. I was a bit taken aback thinking, why would he defend her? He first said that he was there and that it "ain't what [he thought]" and that "she ain't crazy. She love those children. She was trying to out-hurt the hurter" (276).

At first, I thought that Stamp Paid was just trying to make up for his actions. When Paul D left, Stamp Paid felt bad and so I thought that he was just trying to make things right. But, after thinking about it more, I think that Stamp Paid may have been truthful. I haven't read much past this passage, but I think that he's genuine. Stamp Paid doesn't seem to hide anything and is a very blunt person. Spur of the moment, he tells Paul D about his former wife Vashti and how he knew that she was sleeping with his young master and proceeded to leave her after almost killing her. This event caused him to change his name from Joshua to Stamp Paid as a his sort of payment for his work. He doesn't seem to have reason to hide anything, which made me believe that he's telling the truth and believes that Sethe acted for the good of her family.

Going back to the survey we took in the beginning, I really didn't know what to choose for the question "A mother’s love can possibly lead to a decision to destroy a child." Of course, I didn't know what it meant at the time, but knowing now, I understand Sethe's reasoning and why Stamp Paid defended her. He almost killed someone very close to him and although it was not for the same reasons, he might understand how one could commit such an act towards a person that they are supposed to love unconditionally. I think that the community's issue with Sethe isn't necessarily her reason because as former slaves, they understand the pain and suffering, but the fact that she did kill someone from her family. I don't think that their reaction would have been so severe if she had not succeeded in killing any of the children. I believe that they still would have been wary and suspicious, but might have come around eventually, understanding that her mental and emotional state was in turmoil after her recent experiences.