Baby Suggs Beloved Essay

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In Toni Morrison's Beloved, the character Baby Suggs spends most of her young adult life as a slave on different plantations, facing many hardships until her son buys her freedom. However, after an episode of happiness and liberation, she sinks into a deep depression when Sethe kills Beloved. Afterwards, she lives the rest of her life bedridden, pondering the cruelty of whites. The role of Suggs’ character is to show that for African-Americans of the time, there is no true freedom, whether enslaved or legally free.
As a slave, Baby Suggs is stripped of all natural freedoms and rights, and is unable to make any decisions on her own, thus becoming powerless to control not only her own fate, but the fates of those she cares for. She is given …show more content…

After moving into 124, Suggs able to feel her own heartbeat, symbolizing her excitement upon discovering the implications of freedom; no longer does she have to be subjugated to emotional and physical abuse, the stresses and tragedy of having her loved ones taken from her. However, upon the arrival of schoolteacher and Sethe’s decision to kill Beloved, Suggs falls into depression. Having yet another precious family member being taken away from her, as well as living with the guilt of being unable to warn or stop Sethe, Suggs realizes that though she may be legally free, her happiness and overall life is still dictated by the will of whites. After the incident, she spends her days in bed, craving objects of color; after reflecting on her life's misfortunes, she realizes that many of the problems she has faced have been directly caused by her inferiority to whites. She states that "there is no bad luck in the world but whitefolks" (124), accusing them of being responsible for the tragedies of her lifetime. She stops giving sermons in the Clearing after the incident with Sethe, losing all hope in loving herself and her life. Suggs believes that her sermons are false; that it is impossible for African-Americans to love themselves while so tightly bound to white prejudice and law. Despite earning her freedom legally,

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