In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, schoolteacher comes to 124 with his nephew, the sheriff, and a slave catcher ready to take the “pickaninnies they had hoped were alive and well enough to take back to Kentucky”, but when they arrive at 124, they see Sethe has already kept the “pickaninnies” from them. She kills her daughter with a saw, and the other children are injured. Because none of children could be used as slaves, schoolteacher leaves 124, and afterwards Sethe is sent to jail. We questioned in class whether killing Beloved was necessary or the "right" decision. Reading this and having discussions about her motives and decision, I couldn’t help but connect Sethe’s killing of Beloved with the discussion about abortion. I thought that Morrison’s portrayal of a mother faced with the hard decision of her child’s well being to make the decision to kill the child tied in with pro choice. Perhaps they are connected, as abortion first legalized in 1973 while Beloved was published in 1987.
One thing we pointed out a lot in class was that we cannot judge Sethe’s killing of Beloved because we aren’t, and would never, be put in the same situation as her. Never would we have to face the hardships she had gone through to be able to rationalize whether what she did was right or wrong. This point is an argument for pro choice because it says that you can not tell a woman what to do as you are not in the situation that she is in. What she may choose to do is ultimately her decision, as she knows what is best for her children.
Another argument that is used for pro choice is the idea that it is a woman’s choice what she wants to do with her body. In Beloved, the case is different as Beloved is not in Sethe when Sethe kills her. This led me to believe that Morrison was trying to say that a mother and her child will always be inextricably linked with each other. This idea is sort of seen in the idea of motherly love. Sethe loves her children so much that she is always worrying about them; she can never escape them. She always feels their pain, and knows what life would be like if they were taken to Sweethome. So even though Beloved isn’t a part of her body, it is Sethe’s decision to decide what would be best for Beloved.
I find this link really interesting. I agree that they share a lot of similarities and I think your right in saying that as readers we can form very little substantial judgement about Sethe's decisions. No one in our class has experience being a mother or a slave, and so we can't truly understand Seth's perspective. This is similar to the abortion issue. Many people who are pro-life don't understand the situation people who get abortions might be in. For both situations no one is saying that wanted to kill a child, but it was what they felt they needed to do .
ReplyDeleteI think this was really fascinating to think about, you draw an interesting connection between Sethe's choice to kill Beloved and abortion, as well as our position to pass judgement. I wouldn't have necessarily thought about it this way before.
ReplyDeleteI think the connection you made is really important. Even though Beloved was two years old when she was killed, the situation is very similar to abortion. People who get abortions don't want to kill their child, and are just trying to do what is best for their child and themselves. A mother is the only one who can make that kind of decision, and because of this it is hard for everyone in class to make confident judgements.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting, I've been thinking a lot about abortion and pro-choice arguments as different modern applications have sprung up (in the scientific world especially). I think that analyzing Beloved through the lens of abortion and pro-choice is incredibly important. Giving the mother our trust that she is doing what she knows is best for her child, which no easy decision, is essential for Sethe, for us now.
ReplyDeleteThis brings up a really interesting point. Sethe obviously feels awful that she killed Beloved, which ties in to (as far as I've seen) the common reaction to women who have gotten an abortion. It isn't something they're excited about, it is something that needs to be done to keep living conditions from becoming vastly worse.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking about this during class when we talked about this scene. I agree that we can't judge Sethe for what she did because we aren't in her situation, but I don't think we really have to. If we are thinking of the novel in terms of what argument Morrison would be trying to make about abortion, I disagree with you. While Sethe feels no remorse for what she did, the things that happen later in the novel lead me to believe that the argument would be pro-life. The entire family is haunted by Beloved after she dies. Denver is lonely, Sethe is isolated, the entire family is a disgrace to the entire community. I feel as though that isn't a good thing.
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