Critical Lens Expert: Inhumane Actions

I analyzed an essay by Pamela E. Barnett titled Figuration's of Rape and the Supernatural in Beloved. She goes into depth on the impact of rape among women especially African American slaves. The author believes the book is haunted by rape and Beloved being the center of it all. Barnett reinforces the thought of rape in a supernatural way by comparing Beloved to a succubus, a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men. The author analyzes that Beloved is like a succubus that drains Paul D of semen and Sethe of vitality. The violations taken my Beloved demonstrates dehumanization because she takes advantage of both Sethe and Paul D in a strange way. The author also shows that African American women were suppressed by white men. Women would become vulnerable and let their bodies be used by white men who felt the need to violate a woman's body.

Barnett gives a clear interpretation of rape throughout the book. She explains women are rapes physically and emotionally. How they have to live with that memory all there life. It really goes into depth about how slaves specifically were treated as sex toys and not as humans. Barnett then also get into how characters would get emotionally violated. She explains how Beloved took advantage of her own mother, consuming her energy just by bringing up the past. The dehumanization brought up by Barnett shows that Beloved wants Sethe to not feel human and more like a ghost just like her. Beloved came back to make Sethe pay for what she had done. The interpretation by Barnett is at a supernatural level showing that not only the white men were capable of this inhumane act but also ghost like figures like Beloved. This all concludes that women have it hard emotionally and physically. Women can be sexually harassed leaving behind scars and marks in their body as a daily reminder. But also women can be emotionally harassed with exposing past memories and torturing them with those memories. That's because women have been stereotyped as vulnerable and weak and women believe it and people take advantage of that.

Critical Lens Expert: Motherhood

I decided to analyze Terry Paul Caesar’s article regarding Motherhood. The author specifies in the relationship between Motherhood and Slavery. The author goes more into depth that because of slavery many mothers have to make very difficult decisions. In the book Sethe makes a hard decision of taking her daughter's life. That option crosses her mind because she doesn't want her daughter to be born into slavery. If born into slavery there isn’t a purpose in life there is no reason to live because your opinions are pointless you become a “thing”. The article also goes into depth into the difference between being a woman and a mother. It specifies that women just think of themselves and make choices that would benefit them and help them out in the long run. In the other hand, being a mother you need think about another human being not just yourself and Sethe displays that in the book. Sethe is one out of many character portrayed as figure of motherhood. The article then concludes that “Morrisons critiques the notion of motherhood as a liberating bond between mother and child”. Meaning that Sethe’s role as a mother is something that is very important throughout the book.

What Terry Paul Caeser claims in the article relates to my own thoughts of the book and what motherhood truly represents. From the entire book what stuck out to me the most was how Sethe was able to sacrifice her own daughter to possibility free her from her own freedom. In the article it also analyzes Sethe’s choice in taking the life of her own daughter. The author questions if Sethe did it to save herself from misery or to save her daughter from misery. But from all that we have learned from Sethe we can assume her attention wasn’t really to save her own life but her daughters. When Sethe recognizes Beloved she gets a sense of relief because she has another chance to make things right.

Close Reading: Mother & Daughter Relationship

“The bigger Beloved got, the smaller Sethe became; the brighter Beloved’s eyes, the more those eyes that used never to look away became slits of sleeplessness. Sethe no longer combed her hair or splashed her face with water. She sat in the chair licking her lips like a chastised child while Beloved ate up her life, took it, swelled up with it, grew taller on it.”

(Pg. 295)

This excerpt is found towards the ending of Beloved going more into depth on the relationship between Sethe and Beloved. It explains metaphorically that while Sethe gets smaller Beloved gets bigger. Its as though Beloved is absorbing Sethe’s energy like a towel making her weak and weak. Beloved it taking in all that life out of Sethe by reminding her of her past and making her feel terrible about herself. Beloved would bring up past memories that Sethe always kept hidden because she didn't want the truth to come out and expose her. Everything that Beloved is doing is making Sethe weak and weak. She became sleepless because she thinks and thinks of what’s going to happen next. She worries that Beloved will take over her life and she will never have a life how she wished. It basically says that Beloved to over her like “ate her up her life” and is diminishing her own mother. What could have caused this was Beloved knowing her mom killed her when she was little and she doesn't recognize that her mother did out of love. In this passage Beloved is portrayed as a strong force of nature brought to destroy everyone in 124 especially Sethe.

Sethe is going through all of this because she love Beloved so much as a daughter. She is willing to do anything for child to happy because she doesn't want to see her leave how Buglar and Howard left 124 and never came back. She lost beloved once and she doesn't want to lose her again she wants to cherish every moment  with her. Sethe doesn't realize that with being with Beloved its killing her. Her love towards Beloved to blinding her from reality and she can't see past Beloveds dark past in which Paul D has noticed. Thats because as a mother she has a lot of love towards her no matter what she does.

This compares to real life because mothers when they have their first child they lose sleep and their social life because they become very invested in there kids. Its their responsibility to feed the baby in the middle of the night when the baby screams of hunger creating sleepless nights. Also she just giving away 18 years over their own lives to raise a child and leaving their own lives for their children gets tiring and eventually parents get used up and become very old with no energy because they have invested so much time and dedication to their kids.

Close Reading: The Nature of Nurturing a Child

All I knew was I had to get my milk to my baby girl. Nobody was going to nurse her like me. Nobody was going to get it to her fast enough, or take it away when she had enough and didn't know it. Nobody knew that she couldn’t pass her air if you held her up on your shoulder, only if she was lying on my knees. Nobody knew that but me and nobody had her milk but me. I told that to the women in the wagon. Told them to put sugar water in cloth to suck from so when I got there in a few days she wouldn't have forgot me. The milk would be there and I would be there with it.

Pg. 19

“They used cowhide on you?

And they took my milk

They beat you and you was pregnant?

And they took my milk

Pg. 20

What caught my attention from the expert was how much Sethe cared for her daughter Beloved. There is a lot of repetition with the “milk” in how it must be given to the baby even when she is gone and not near the baby. The milk is a symbol that a part of Sethe will always be with the baby. Breast milk is something only mothers have and it’s something that babies need on a daily to feed. She also repeats how “nobody” can ever replace her because she is the only one that can care for her daughter. Nobody can take the role of a mother because it's not an easy job it’s a responsibility that only brave women can take. On the next page it explains the reason to why Sethe brought up the discussion of why it's important to take care of her daughter. She tells Paul D that the “boys” took her milk, it's like a part of her dignity was removed, something very valuable was taken from her. What I mean by something valuable, I’m referring to how much her milk meant to her because the milk is a reminder of Sethe’s presence to the baby. Since they took her milk her baby is in danger of the memory of her own mother.

This passage connects back to feminism because it analyzes the role of a mother. It describes Sethe’s role in the book which is a protective women over her children. Women are brave in their own ways and being a mother is one of them. Sethe makes the effort to always be there for her baby girl at whatever cost. Women care for their children with so much love and patience. Typically children become closer to their mothers than fathers because mothers go beyond themselves to keep their children happy and healthy. Personally, I have a stronger bond with my mom then with my dad thats because my mom has nurtured me since birth and has given up everything for my happiness. Although my dad has done the same a mother's love is infinite.

Reflecting and Responding: Women Power

Sethe has become a strong women figure throughout the book. She demonstrates how it's possible to raise a family independently. Shes not the only female figure that remains strong though the book but also Denver and Baby Suggs. Throughout the book all female figures have remained strong giving each other support. Sethe tells Denver that when Sethe was about to give birth to Denver a white girl named Amy found Sethe in pain on the side of the road. Sethe explains that Amy didn't hesitate to help her. Even though they are not the same skin color Amy makes sure she has her baby and  that it able to restore her health. Amy could have easily left Sethe to suffer but she didn't. Many women around the world unite forces to defeat the stereotypes society has them placed. In Beloved it

illustrates the power of the women that women don’t have to rely on anyone to become a great success.

Sethe in the book is an independent women that is raising all her children because her husband Halle had died and she had no one but she herself. She had to learn how to confront her own struggles and Beloved and 124 being some them. She adored her daughter Beloved but the choice she took in killing her wasn't easy but it was the easiest solution in order to prevent Beloved from a miserable life. Her actions are reflective of how she had to make her own decisions without anyone’s opinion and demonstrates how capable she is with situations like these.

In 124 there is a dark force that doesn't allow people to approach it. The house is very isolated but Sethe, Denver, and Baby Suggs remain there. In the beginning of the book the house became too much for Denver she couldn't resist it was too much for her. She began acting weird and even threatened Sethe that she would run away. Sethe then knocked some sense into her and made her realize that was her home. Baby Suggs ends of leaving her full life and dying in 124. For Sethe there is nothing that can separate her from her home. All the female characters in the book are capable of resisting the dark force but the male figures cannot. Buglar and Howard end up running away from the house and Paul ends up leaving to because he can't take it anymore. Throughout the book women ally together to show women are stronger when they are together and also shows that women internally are stronger then men because they can handle more fear.

Reflecting and Responding: Mothers Love

Throughout the book Sethe has been a character with so much love and patience for her own children. She has displayed a role of a protective mother over her children, preventing any harm from them. Sethe is willing to give up anything for her children and in the book it explains that she has so much affection towards Beloved. At first she doesn’t recognize who she was until she mentioned what her name was, and when Beloved first appeared Sethe made her feel at home. Although it was extremely painful for her to murder her own daughter in order to save her life, she still feels guilt over the tragic occurrence. She feels although she got the second chance to be with her and comfort her again like how she should have. Beloved continues to torture Sethe with her past by bringing back the painful memories. Sethe accepts it all and doesn't really complain about it because she knows she created this monster known as Beloved. 

Sethe is also willing to give up anyone close to her for her “ghost baby” and Paul D being one of them. Beloved and Paul D have a very interesting relationship. They don’t connect with each other very well. They have a lot of hatred towards each other because Paul D saw the dark force Beloved brought with her the first day she came to 124. Paul D recognize that Beloved’s intentions were not the best she was out for “blood”. The blood is metaphorically because it seems although she wants her mom to suffer for what she did many years ago.

Sethe’s love is unconstitutional towards Beloved she continues to demonstrate it throughout the book. She has a responsibility to care for Beloved, even though Paul D senses Beloved’s negative force she becomes ignorant and disregards Paul D and his senses because she is blinded by the love of a mother. Sethe’s role as a mother is an important part about the book and she shows us that there are very protective mothers who are always giving up anything for their children.

The Mayflower Express to Mayfield's Interpretation

The Mayflower Express to Mayfield's Interpretation

Sandra Mayfield begins her analysis of Beloved with an examination of how Morrison has shown a great belief that American literature has been missing the psyche of African Americans.  Mayfield, quoting Morrison, continues by saying that not only is the history of American literature missing the psyche of African Americans, but more specifically the psychology and emotions of African American slaves.  In addition, the lack of these attributes in literature is carried with a sense of uneasiness by America to understand this psychology and emotions.  Morrison identifies American authors as main subjects to this belief, as Mayfield puts it, “white American authors were disturbed, confused, unsettled, by the Africanist presences that loomed large in their writings”.  Morrison continues, saying that the way for American literature to complete its history is to be able to, “analyze the absence of an understanding of Africanism,” and its role in forming American culture today.  Mayfield then transitions more directly to Beloved and her argument; Mayfield states that her argument is that slavery, even after its physical conclusion, became a standing metaphor for relations between men and women.  Mayfield also claimed that slavery was more a product of sexism rather than racism.  Mayfield also articulates the claim that Beloved is a book that is centralized around motherhood.  However, this is idea of motherhood is complicated.  Mayfield holds this notion that Sethe is affected by this disconnect as a result of her relationship between her mother and herself.  Along with this, Sethe is also trying to fight her past and provide a life much better than the one she experienced for her kids.  Therefore, in order to face this disconnect from her mother and provide a better life Sethe focuses on becoming the best mother she can.  Through this, Sethe holds this strong sense of love for her children, which can be related to the powerful bond between her and Beloved: her first daughter.  

This article takes a more feminist side to the psychoanalytic lens that helped me open my perspective of the psychoanalytic lens.  By approaching this lens in a different way, this article pushed me to think deeper in terms of Sethe and the specific relations to other female characters that aren’t as central to the plot, for example Mrs. Garner and Baby Suggs who for the majority of the book are absent.  By looking at these female figures in this book, it allowed me to see the role that motherhood had on Sethe and how it allowed her to be a mother herself.  Through looking at these relationships of mothers, and females it pushed me to almost a feminist lens mixed with psychoanalytic lens. With that, I was able to see the role that motherhood played within Beloved. I was also able to connect this to past claims and notions I had regarding Beloved, especially the role that the past has in the book. By mixing my past knowledge and the article, I was able to blend these two ideas of motherhood and the role that the past makes to have this broader mindset of the interconnectedness within the book.