Cruelty In Toni Morrison's Beloved

According the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, an American is sexually assaulted is every 107 seconds. Furthermore, the victims of these acts of cruelty are 3 times more likely to suffer depression and 6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Likewise, in the novel Beloved, the perpetrators Schoolteacher and Beloved, leave their victims unable to move on from their painful past. Sethe is unable to leave her painful past behind her and Paul D. hardens his heart in order to seal away the pain. As depicted in the novel, the cruelty of slavery affects the lives of Sethe and Paul D. as well as their perpetrator Schoolteacher. These acts of cruelty trigger a defensive response, which enables cruelty not only to linger in the past, but also come back and haunt them in the future. Paul D.’s traumatizing

At first Baby Suggs is well respected by the community as a preacher. Although, Baby Suggs later loses her connection with the community due to their jealously. The community remarks, “Too much, they thought. Where does she get it all, Baby Suggs, holy? Why is she and hers always the center of things?” (137). As a result of their jealousy, the townspeople fail to warn Sethe about the arrival of schoolteacher. This is crucial to the novel because if the residents of 124 were told in advance that schoolteacher was coming, then Sethe may not have attempted to murder all her children. The residents of 124 remain unconnected with the rest of the community up until the end of the novel where Denver finally decides to go out to look for work and help support her sister and mother. Denver first goes to Lady Jones for help and ends up getting support from the rest of the community who then provides food for her. Towards the end of the novel, thirty women march towards 124 to help get rid of Beloved. This is a key event because this action finally gets Beloved to