So we talked about this quote from the end of Beloved today in class, but I also came up with another explanation of my own.
Of course, this book is very focused on the relationship between mother and child, and part of that relationship is "passing on" traits. I thought about how Ella refused to nurse the child she had as a product of rape and that got me thinking that the theme of infanticide in this novel is really not just contained to Sethe, although her story is perhaps the most shocking and gruesome one.
However, there is another woman mentioned in the novel who explicitly commits infanticide, and that woman is Sethe's own mother. Nan tells Sethe that Sethe's mother threw away all the babies she had from the crew members. In turn, Sethe herself kills her own child (although with a different motive).
So this story of infanticide has been passed down already. And if this is not a story to pass on, I think Morrison's message might be, at least partly, that it's time for this stuff to stop. Mothers should not be driven to kill their children, and if they are, then there is clearly something wrong with society (which, of course, there was). Change needs to be effected, and being "better than it was before" doesn't cut it, just like the Garners' "special kind of slavery" is still horrible. The effects and the pain of slavery are still present today, and clearly racism continues to be very prevalent.
It's been over a hundred and fifty years. So when can it end? When will this story finally stop being passed on?
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3 comments:
I think Ally's analysis of this quote is a brilliant point, and I also believe that Morrison wants her audience to realize that these terrible things actually happened. The mothers' belief that infanticide was the best option to save their own children is a troubling thought, and it is impossible for us to imagine the horrendous situations the mothers were in and the decisions they had to face. Infanticide seems like "an unpleasant dream during a troubling sleep," but it wasn't a dream; it was reality.
I really like Ally's analysis as well. I think Morrison is sending a message that mother's should not ever have to be put into such a situation that they see infanticide as the only way of saving their child. I think it also demonstrates how a story can have a have a huge effect on people's lives. If you think of Beloved herself as a kind of story, she churns up traumatic memories and causes a lot of damage, but calm comes when she finally disappears.
Good point here, Ally. I agree that your interpretation is a very plausible one. To expand, Morrison is probably also wondering why mothers today, especially black mothers, still have to worry for their children’s safety based simply on skin color. As you all know, this issue has been raised many times over the past couple years, especially as it pertains to the Black Lives Matter movement. And after all, Sethe’s motive was to protect her children from harm—from white people, to be honest. Morrison’s also definitely not excusing slavery in any shape or form. Even the Bodwins comment that they don’t approve of slavery, even “his [Mr. Garner’s] kind.” And yet…they still remain friends with the man. A true mystery.
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