In the final section of Part I, Morrison discloses the tale of Beloved’s death. Although Sethe escapes from Sweet Home, she lacks true freedom. Schoolteacher, his nephew, a slave catcher, and a sheriff all arrive at 124 with the goal of recapturing Sethe. When the men go around to the back of the house, they find Sethe “holding a blood-soaked child to her chest with one hand and an infant by the heels in the other” (175). This powerful scene uncovers the truth about Beloved: Sethe killed her. On page 176, Morrison notes that “neither Stamp Paid nor Baby Suggs could make her put her crawling-already? girl down” which confirms that the “blood-soaked child” is Beloved (178). Sethe’s attachment to the dead child indicates that the killing was an act of love.
Despite Stamp Paid showing Paul D the newspaper clipping, relating to the tragic story of Beloved’s death, Paul D refuses to believe it was Sethe who committed the atrocity. When Paul D discusses the situation with Sethe, Sethe explains that she “took and put [her] babies where they’d be safe” (193). This statement suggests that Sethe thinks that death is a better option for her child than life as a slave. Although Paul D cannot comprehend Sethe’s decision, Sethe finds that she was successful as she kept her children away from Sweet Home. Finally, Paul D asserts that he finds what Sethe did “was wrong” (194). Moreover, Paul D proposes that there could have been some other way from protecting her children because Sethe has “two feet…not four” (194). Paul D’s statement suggests that he finds Sethe’s behavior to be animalistic. In this moment, the love between Sethe and Paul D dies. Paul D’s classification of Sethe’s behavior as animalistic parallels that of a slave owner. The contention between Sethe and Paul D, combined with Beloved’s presence causes Paul D to leave 124 at the end of Part I.
Sethe’s decision to try and kill her children instead of letting them go back into slavery is impossible to comprehend. One cannot fathom that death is better than slavery, but for Sethe it was. Sethe’s act says more about the institution of slavery than her actual memories about slavery.
I think what was especially interesting about the reveal of Beloved’s death was Morrison not really revealing her stance on the morality of Beloved’s death. We have been seeing this story through Sethe, so we have been conditioned to sympathize with her and her decisions. However, we also can understand through Paul D what a dark presence Beloved is in the house, for instance, so we know to take moral cues from him as well, which is why we understand his shock, disbelief, and eventual condemnation of Sethe. It will be interesting to see how we will later read how Morrison’s thoughts come through in her characters.
I liked how you made the note that Sethe’s action (the murder of Beloved) as animalistic. It was an interesting parallel between that of a slaveowner, yet at the same time, it seems to show what happens when you push a human being to their limit. After all the trauma and horror that Sethe experienced, she simply could not bring herself to subject her children to that so she was willing to go to horrific lengths to prevent that. It seemed like an interesting theme throughout the book that comes to fruition.