Smalls 1

Yetunde Smalls

Professor Kitano

ICSM 1800

20 December 2017

Final Draft

In her novel Beloved, Morrison chronicles how slavery corrupts the purity of motherhood

through the narrative of Sethe. Briefly, Morrison’s protagonist Sethe murders her infant

daughter as an act of love and is later consumed with remorse when confronted with the ghost of

her dead child. Morrison carefully unfolds the narrative to Sethe’s life. She captures not only her

pains and frustrations but her determination as well. Especially as she shows Sethe with

bloodied feet and pregnant, trying to find her way to freedom. Sethe’s vulnerability seeps

through the pages as Morrison exposes her imperfections crystalized in the mark of a tree from

the beatings she has received. Sethe is cast in the shadow of a victim, and by the time it is

revealed what she has done out of desperation, the reader feels compassion for her and repulsion

for the institution of slavery. And while Sethe moves through a life devoted to her daughter

Denver, she is also wedded to her memories of loss. The evidence suggests that Sethe was both

desperate and insane, however, as the story unfolds the reader is confronted with how slavery

complicates motherhood. Morrison’s literary landscape 124 is the personification of slavery and

holds all the pain, memories, and regrets and is the stage for healing. In this place, Morrison

illuminates the contradictions that slavery fosters in motherhood and what happens when love,

slavery, and motherhood collide.

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Toni Morrison's novel Beloved deconstructs slavery while containing the traumas of

slavery and its aftermath on the family in 124. Morrison injects life, power, memory, and

emotion into 124. She positions 124 as a living object as she opens the novel: “124 WAS

SPITEFUL. Full of a baby’s venom. The women in the house knew it and so did the children.”

(Morrison 3) Morrison’s emphasizes that 124 is driven by memory as she intentionally uses all

caps as she writes - 124 WAS SPITEFUL. Morrison is deliberate in her omission of men in the

passage, as it signifies loss and raises the question - where are the men? Morrison further

elevates the significance of women in the absence of men, as she emphasizes that, “All their

men- brothers, uncles, fathers, husbands, sons-had been picked off one by one” (Morrison 63).

Indeed, the absence of men repositions the role of the matriarch and magnifies the broken family

structure as a result of slavery. Morrison captures the devastating impact of slavery with

embedded metanarratives of loss and this loss is all attributed to slavery. And for Morrison, the

grief, loss, pain, and memory of slavery are embodied in 124 and functions as a bird's eye view

to the horrors of slavery. Morrison directs the reader’s gaze to 124 while hinting at the reason

for the haunting of 124 where the tragic collision of slavery and family manifested. From the

onset, 124 has consumed everything, like slavery. Morrison asserts:

The grandmother, Baby Suggs, was dead, and the sons, Howard and Buglar, had

run away by the time they were thirteen years old-as soon as merely looking into

a mirror shattered (that was the signal for Buglar); as soon as two tiny hand prints

appeared in the cake(that was it for Howard). Neither boy waited to see more

(Morrison 3).

The house (124) is a space of contradictions. It both holds slaves hostage and offers them a

refuge, doubling as womb and tomb; similar to the slave ship. While Sethe is a loving mother
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and positions herself as a protector of her children, her sons are afraid of her; and Denver feels

isolated from the world and her community. Here again, Morrison teases the reader about what

happened at the site of 124. Along the same vein, while the slave ship provided a false sense of

security, protecting the cargo from the ocean waves, and a space for slaves to communicate and

take comfort in being with each other; once the ship docked, the slaves realized that the ship

functioned as a transport to a deadly destination and they would be separated. And much like the

contradictions found in slavery such as slave owners fathering and selling their own children into

slavery (oftentimes a death sentence). And much like the slave owner who sells his own flesh

into slavery, Sethe found herself conflicted by her love for her children and her determination to

NOT allow her children to be victims of slavery and she claims her power and kills her infant

daughter. 124 gives Sethe a sense of comfort because For Sethe, it was an opportunity to love

Beloved outside the confines of slavery; and reaffirms that her daughter never left her. And for

Baby Suggs, even though she witnessed the killing of her granddaughter, she is reminded of the

sacrifices made by her son for her freedom.

Baby Suggs was a living witness to the contradictions of slavery and how it robbed her

of her children and reconfigured the role of mother for the slave (black) mother; primarily by

selling off their offspring. During slavery, black women were continuously disempowered as a

mother. Oftentimes, their milk was used to feed white children, while their children were sold

off and no connection was allowed to form. Baby Suggs had lost a lot. She was allowed to keep

only 1 of 8 children, each fathered by different men; again, a consequence of slavery. Slavery

conditioned Baby Suggs to forge her ‘own’ type of family and to exist within the conflict, while

surviving with good spirits. Stamp Paid ponders how Baby Suggs could withstand so much loss,

as he remarks:
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“After sixty years of losing children to the people who chewed her life and spit her out

like a fish bone; after five years of freedom given to her by her last child, who bought her

future with his, exchanged it, so to speak, so she could have one whether he did or did

not—to lose him too; to acquire the children (or try to); belong to a community of other

free Negros—to love and be loved by them, to counsel and be counseled, protect and be

protected, feed and be fed- and then to have that community step back and hold itself at

distance...” (Morrison 209)

Slavery taught Baby Suggs that all things were temporary and not to get attached to situations

because slavery did not allow for stability. For Baby Suggs slavery shifted the role of wife,

mother, daughter, and sister; and in order to survive to tell the story, Baby Suggs

surrendered. Morrison interrogates the long-lasting effects of slavery through Baby Suggs to

offer an alternative view of a slave mother. Morrison carefully documents Baby Suggs losses as

she highlights her history of pain and disappointment. In Baby Suggs narrative, there is evidence

of a rapid surrender in her desire to claim her ownership as a parent and even wife, as her

children and husbands are sold off. Contrary to Baby Suggs, once Sethe milk is stolen from her,

there appears to be an accelerated desire to claim her right as a parent, and in making this claim

she decides that she and she alone has the right to determine her children’s fate. Arguably, the

contrast of Sethe’s strength and Baby Suggs’ is intentional and shows the contrasting approaches

to mothering. Notably, Morrison shows how both, Sethe and Baby Suggs adapt when confronted

by the pressures of slavery and how it impacts their approach to motherhood.

Toni Morrison’s Beloved captures the pain and contradictions of motherhood confronted

by the trauma of slavery. In pondering the toll of motherhood Sethe ‘s inner dialogue causes her

to elicit “…motherlove was a killer” (Morrison 155). For Sethe, her love for her children caused
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her to do what was unthinkable and seen by the community and other as hate; but Sethe is moved

by the spell of what she identifies as ‘motherlove’. Implicit in this ‘motherlove’ is the act of

desperation and an urgency to protect. Baby Suggs contends “a man aint nothing but a

man…but a son… that’s somebody” (Morrison 27) Baby Suggs heightens the importance of

children, as she is sure to distinguish a son (or any child) means a lot which further exemplifies

the role of children. And indeed their importance to their mothers. Sethe is convinced that

protecting her children is the priority and while it may not be acceptable she concedes that “It

aint my job to know whats worse. It’s my job to know what is and to keep them away from what

I know is terrible, I did that.” (Morrison 194) For Sethe, the mother must protect her children. In

her mind, she was protecting her children from what she was escaping: slavery, and impending

death. When confronted with the decision to return to slavery with her children, Sethe chooses

to kill, as a final act of love. While it would have been easy for Sethe to take her own life, she

was more concerned with the life of her children. Sethe did not have anything else to lose. Her

milk had been stolen, her husband was missing, and now she had to fight to defend the new

claimed freedom she had chosen for her and mainly her children. Sethe murdered a living and

breathing infant who trusted her and for Sethe, that trust included making sure she would not

suffer; henceforth willing Sethe to prevent her from suffering a life of bondage. Given all that

Sethe had lost, she wanted to KNOW where her children were, and the only way she could

KNOW was to kill them. And while her attempt was to kill them all, her sons survived. And

while this decision did not make Sethe popular, she felt victorious in saving her daughter. The

irony here is that many looked upon Sethe as if she were a monster, but the monster was slavery

and Sethe was merely a conduit.

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Sethe’s sole existence is her identity as a mother. During her attempt to escape from

slavery her primary concern was preserving her milk for her children. As Sethe relates the story

to Paul D, her focus is not on the beating she received, but on being robbed of her milk. Sethe’s

milk is her power and this incident not only diminishes her power but seems to be the breaking

point for her. This is significant because Sethe’s ability to nurse her child is linked to her role as

a mother and in this moment, she is being denied her motherhood. As if in a trance, Sethe recalls

to Paul D-

“ After I left you, those boys came and took my milk. That what they came in there for.

Held me down and took it. I told Mrs. Garner on em. She had that lump and couldn't

speak but her eyes rolled out tears. Them boys found out I told on em. Schoolteacher

made one open up my back, and when it closed it made a tree. It grows there still”

(Morrison 20).

The significance of Sethe’s milk being stolen is captured by the act of crying displayed by Mrs.

Garner. Even as a white woman even Mrs. Garner comprehends Sethe’s frustration and despair,

as well as understands the magnitude of the assault. Indeed Mrs. Garland has an understanding of

what it feels like to be powerless, especially since she is dying and cannot any longer care for

herself. And while Sethe is determined to protect her milk, she feels abandoned by her husband

and wonders if he or some other man witnessed the stealing of her milk. Even as Paul D asks

questions about the treatment she received, she repeats - “And they took my milk.” (Morrison

21) .With the stealing of Sethe’s milk, again Morrison, emphasizes the absence of black men to

protect the black woman; and therefore the black woman must assume the role of protector. As

textual evidence suggests, oftentimes this embodiment of the absent male strength by the black

woman culminates into a rage.

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For Morrison, men were erased and women like Sethe remained with emotional and

psychological scars from slavery. Sethe’s home and lifestyle post-Sweet Home symbolize the

lingering impact of slavery. Undeniably, Morrison is quick to posit 124 as a haunted house and

show its power to incite fear and paralyze Sethe and Denver. And rightfully so, because the two

remaining occupants Denver and Sethe are both equally enchanted with the haunting and are

enamored by the animation of 124. In many ways, the haunting is slavery’s surrogate, as it

consumes Sethe’s mind. However, Sethe was rooted to 124 as she explains to Paul D: “I got a

tree on my back and a haunt in my house, and nothing in between but the daughter I am holding

in my arms. No more running from nothing. I will never run from another thing on this earth. I

took one journey and I paid for the ticket, but let me tell you something, Paul D Garner; it cost

too much!”(Morrison 123) Physically, Sethe is free and committed to certain principles, and yet

she remains imprisoned by the gaze of slavery. Slavery has not only denied Sethe her right to

motherhood, but it has clouded her vision, invoking fear as she parents. And while her behavior

appears to be a gesture of pure sacrifice; it is driven by her fear of being alone. While Sethe is

loving to Denver, she has crippled her with fear and while Sethe is committed to protecting

Denver, she is blinded by her drive to assure that she does not die while in her care. Again, this

behavior shows the contradictions of slavery and motherhood. It should also be noted that prior

to Beloved’s arrival, Denver is the surrogate for Beloved.

In similar ways, both House and Wyatt explore the severed ties of family and the contradictions

of motherhood in their perspective essays. Their evidence heightens the significance and indeed

the complications of family. In her essay “Toni Morrison’s Ghost: The Beloved is Not Beloved”

(1990), published in Studies in American Fiction, House observes “These and other incidents

illustrate the deconstruction of family ties brought by slavery, and Beloved, seen as a human
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being emphasizes and illuminates these themes” (House 17). House argues two things in her

essay the validity of Beloved and how a girl affected by slavery longs for a family. The who of

Beloved will always be debatable and whatever stance one may take it is unanimous amongst all

that slavery has affected the way she (Beloved) is and arguably how Sethe and everyone else in

124 receive her. Similarly touching upon this notion of family the essay “Giving Body to the

Word: The Maternal symbolic in Toni Morrison’s Beloved” published by the Publications of the

Modern Language Association of America, Jean Wyatt explores the symbolism of the

relationship between mother and child and its deeper meaning; Very much in the same way that

House highlights the significance of Beloved Wyatt notes, “the continual shift from the abstract

to the concrete creates the illusion of words sliding back to a base in the material world, an affect

congruent with Morrison’s emphasis on embodiment—on both the physical processes of

maternity and the concrete presence of the ghost” (Wyatt 475). Yes, Wyatt and House highlight

different aspects of women however implicit in each of the author's findings is Morison’s

emphasis on family and what love can drive individuals to do, especially when affected by

slavery or post enslavement.

Beloved’s resurrection is confirmation for Sethe that she protected her baby and Beloved

forgives her. Indeed Beloved’s so-called resurrection is the trigger for the community to forgive

Sethe and to exorcise Beloved back to the spirit world in an attempt to give Sethe her mind back.

Ironically, though, the resurrection of Beloved allows Sethe to surrender to her past. This is

important because it demonstrates Sethe’s sacrifice and in turn how claiming power as a mother,

haunts her. Beloved commands that from Sethe, “ I want the face that is going to smile at

me”(Morrison 251). In a similar fashion Sethe too longs for Beloved to smile at her. Both Sethe

and Beloved long for a moment when there is no guilt. However, for Denver, when she looks at
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her mother she observes “Sethe’s eyes bright but dead, alert but vacant, paying attention to

everything about Beloved—her lineless palms, her forehead, the smile under her jaw, crooked

and much too long—everything except hurt basket-fat stomach.” (Morrison 285) And while

Denver has never known a lively Sethe, she knows that her mother’s emptiness is due to the

death of her sister, and her mother’s longing to undo what has been done. Denver notes “The job

started out with a mother from Beloved. Now it was obvious that her mother could die and leave

them both and what would Beloved do then? (Morrison 286). For Denver, she sees that her

mother has surrendered to slavery and invites death as a means of forgiveness.

Toni Morrison’s Beloved is a tragic yet beautifully written tale rich with contradictions

about slavery and how it impacts the family, more specifically motherhood. True to form,

Morrison illuminates the patterns found in slavery that do not align with motherhood and weaves

a narrative that interrogates and exposes the contradictions of slavery; the most painful being a

mother who defaults to murder as a means of protecting her children. In the end, Morrison

determines that the bonds of slavery have not only complicated motherhood for black women but

corrupted its purity.

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Works Cited

House, Elizabeth B. "Toni Morrison's Ghost: The Beloved Who Is Not Beloved." Studies in
American Fiction 18.1 (1990): 17-26. Web.

Wyatt, Jean. "Giving Body to the Word: The Maternal Symbolic in Toni Morrison's Beloved."
PMLA: Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 108.3 (1993):
474-88. Web.

Morrision, Toni. Beloved. First Vintage International Edition ed., Vintage International, 1987.