Imagine the hardships of life after eleven years in captivity, held against your will, raped, and starved. Is it possible to imagine the pain and suffering, to imagine cruelty without feeling it yourself? Just like Michelle Knight, a victim who survived and escaped from captivity, the “sixty million and more” lost in slavery, felt the cruelty and horrors of their perpetrators. Toni Morrison’s Beloved conveys the idea that slavery will have deep-rooting effects; in the novel, the cruelty of Schoolteacher results in Sethe and the Sweet Home slaves attempting to exploit his cruelty and power by committing bold, rebellious acts.
In the novel, Schoolteacher attempts to defend his power and cruelty over the slaves, dehumanizing them, believing …show more content…
While the Garner’s form of cruelty is much more subtle than Schoolteacher’s, the acts of both parties have lasting effects towards the slaves. Schoolteacher’s racist and cruel mentality portray how slaveholders enforce their dominance onto the enslaved. In addition, his cruel logical view toward the slaves clearly illustrates how he dehumanizes them. For instance the repetitive use of the name “Paul” to identify the men at Sweet Home, brutalizes the slaves’ value, depicting that they are so worthless, they cannot have their own unique names. Morrison attempts to highlight that the right to have a name is a crucial part of your identity, connecting slaves to their families and their customs. Furthermore, Schoolteacher’s beats the men and women to enforce his power onto them. His actions explicitly seek manipulation and abuse to the point where the slaves’ statuses are lower than the livestock themselves. This is notable when Paul D feels that he has a lesser value than the rooster, Mister. As Paul D explained to Sethe, "Mister, he looked so… free. Better than me.” (48). Schoolteacher has beaten and mistreated Paul D to the point where an animal, “[...] was allowed to be and stay what he was. But I wasn't allowed to be and stay what I was” (49). Through Morrison’s portrayals, we see Schoolteacher’s characteristics in a horrific light where he represents the …show more content…
In the same way slavery left the chokecherry tree on Sethe’s back, slavery also left Paul D with a tobacco tin that has “rusted shut” (76). Over the years of healing, Sethe comes to terms with her past as she is finally able to learn and maintain her life in the present, where she can finally live her life in freedom. Just like Michelle Knight, after the eleven years of atrocities inflicted by her perpetrator, she keeps fighting to overcome the memories of her past. She states, “From this moment on, I will not let you define me or affect who I am. You will live -- I will live on. You will die a little every
In the novel, Schoolteacher attempts to defend his power and cruelty over the slaves, dehumanizing them, believing …show more content…
While the Garner’s form of cruelty is much more subtle than Schoolteacher’s, the acts of both parties have lasting effects towards the slaves. Schoolteacher’s racist and cruel mentality portray how slaveholders enforce their dominance onto the enslaved. In addition, his cruel logical view toward the slaves clearly illustrates how he dehumanizes them. For instance the repetitive use of the name “Paul” to identify the men at Sweet Home, brutalizes the slaves’ value, depicting that they are so worthless, they cannot have their own unique names. Morrison attempts to highlight that the right to have a name is a crucial part of your identity, connecting slaves to their families and their customs. Furthermore, Schoolteacher’s beats the men and women to enforce his power onto them. His actions explicitly seek manipulation and abuse to the point where the slaves’ statuses are lower than the livestock themselves. This is notable when Paul D feels that he has a lesser value than the rooster, Mister. As Paul D explained to Sethe, "Mister, he looked so… free. Better than me.” (48). Schoolteacher has beaten and mistreated Paul D to the point where an animal, “[...] was allowed to be and stay what he was. But I wasn't allowed to be and stay what I was” (49). Through Morrison’s portrayals, we see Schoolteacher’s characteristics in a horrific light where he represents the …show more content…
In the same way slavery left the chokecherry tree on Sethe’s back, slavery also left Paul D with a tobacco tin that has “rusted shut” (76). Over the years of healing, Sethe comes to terms with her past as she is finally able to learn and maintain her life in the present, where she can finally live her life in freedom. Just like Michelle Knight, after the eleven years of atrocities inflicted by her perpetrator, she keeps fighting to overcome the memories of her past. She states, “From this moment on, I will not let you define me or affect who I am. You will live -- I will live on. You will die a little every