Before the escape, Sethe eavesdrops on Schoolteacher and his nephews conducting an animal categorization of the slaves at Sweet Home. Morrison depicts Schoolteacher as a villainous figure who is determined to violently protect the system as slavery as well as white supremacy. Paul D. recalls how “Schoolteacher changed me. I was something else and that something was less than a chicken sitting in the sun on a tub” (Morrison 43). Psychologically, Schoolteacher’s animalistic treatment of Paul D. has dehumanized him. She wants her children to be given their humanity and have opportunities that she did not receive. Rather than be dehumanized by Schoolteacher, Sethe wants a better life for her children. Sethe does want her children to be treated
