Slavery in Beloved, by Toni Morrison

Beloved

“Beloved” is the story of a young black woman's escape from slavery in the

nineteenth century, and the process of adjusting to a life of freedom. Most people

associate slavery with shackles, chains, and back breaking work. What they do

not realize is the impact of the psychological and emotional bondage of slavery. In

order for a slave to be truly free, they had to escape physically first, and once that

was accomplished they had to confront the horror of their actions and the memories

that a life in chains had left behind. For Sethe, slavery is not over, at least not in

her mind, and beloved serves as a form of therapy by drawing out the painful

memories and giving Sethe a second chance to right her wrongs.

During the last few days at Sweet home, Sethe was made to suffer more than

any human being should have to. She and her husband Halle had decided to take

their three children and flee to Ohio, Where Halles mother, Baby Suggs lived. On

the day they were to leave, Halle was nowhere to be found. Sethe decided to wait

for him and sent the children ahead by themselves. Before she could find Halle and

escape, the caretaker of Sweet home, a man they called School teacher, allowed

his two sons to take Sethe into the barn, hold her down and suck the milk from her

breasts. Sethe told Mrs. Garner, the lady of the house, hoping that something

would be done, but when the boys found out they whipped her back so badly it was

almost completely opened up. To make matters worse, Sethe was pregnant with

her fourth child. She decided that she couldn’t wait for Halle any longer and fled by

herself. After running for a number of miles, Sethes feet could carry her no further

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...entioning later that he just thought it

was some colored women fighting. Beloved disappeared right after that, and never

returned.

What happened during the days Beloved was at 124 and what happened

before she disappeared were turning points in the battle for Sethe to gain her

freedom. Beloved had inspired her to share her most deeply kept secrets. She had

helped her to recall memories that would have left her in the slave mindset. But

most importantly, Beloved gave Sethe another chance. A chance to prove her

devotion to a child she had murdered. A chance to stay by her side no matter how

much it hurt, and most importantly, a second chance to make a stand. Trying to

kill her children was nothing more than running and hiding. By going after Mr.

Bodwin instead of her children, she proved to herself that she was free, free in

every way.