The discussions that we had in class regarding Paul D and his relationship with wanting to move forward and pursuing the future really came to fruition in the most recent chapters of Beloved. We learned in these chapters that Paul D has a history of sexual abuse and is still wrestling with these demons as he contemplates his autonomy and his masculinity. So far, in the novel, Paul D has adamantly resisted the arrival of Beloved and her role in 124. This is because Beloved is the manifestation of the past coming back to haunt Sethe and the people in her life, while Paul D is trying to look towards the future with the potential of raising a family of his own with Sethe.
Despite Paul D and Beloved being at odds throughout the story so far, Beloved is able to assert her power over Paul D when she seduces him. This brings back the difficult and painful memories that Paul D was suppressing in his “tin tobacco box,” as he repeats the phrase “red heart” as he has sex with her. Paul D is ashamed of his actions and his past, and can’t bring himself to tell Sethe the truth when he tries to confess to her. The fact that Paul D has such a conflict with his past and refuses to embrace the horrors that he endured are detrimental to him.
This idea becomes evidently clear when Paul D asks Sethe if she wants to have a baby together. Instead of being honest, he chooses to try to again simply move on and pursue the future. This is a problem because instead of wanted to have a baby with Sethe out of love with genuine hope for a family, the baby is considered a “solution” for Paul D. Having a baby with Sethe will bring back confidence in his sense of masculinity and identity. However, the opposite is true, as Paul D is just running further and further from the truth as he continues to burry his past.
Paul D’s inquiry as to whether Sethe wanted to have a baby together seems to contradict an earlier excerpt of his. On page 45, Paul D classifies Sethe’s love for her children as “very risky.” Furthermore, he says that “for a used-to-be slave woman to love anything that much was dangerous, especially if it was her children she had settled on to love” (45). I think this quotation works in support of your final paragraph as having a baby would allow Paul D to continue to hide from his past. Additionally, it serves as evidence for the fact that Paul D recognizes the emotional dangers of having a child with Sethe.
The point about Paul D bringing up having a baby as a further means of looking towards the future and ignoring the past is a good one. Both Paul D and Sethe have described how hard it is to look back on the past; however, Sethe has the haunting of her baby bringing her back to the past and Paul D has only hardship so it is easier for him to look forward.
It is ironic that one baby can be looked at as a solution for Paul D while the other baby (Beloved) remains a problem. As we discussed in the previous class, Paul D thinks very linearly, but for him to move forward in life (in his mind) he has to first concur the past, i.e. Beloved, who is starting to take control.
I’m not sure if I am remembering correctly but I think Paul D sleeps with Beloved in a dream. As Beloved pushes him out of the house into the the ‘cold house,’ he is forced to confront and relive his memories. Beloved’s strong attachment to her mother and representation of the past forces Paul D to confront his past issues with torture both mentally and physically before successfully attempting a future with Sethe, Denver, and Beloved.