Beloved
Studies conducted by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence discovered that one in five women and one in eight men in the United States have experienced physical abuse and over two hundred thousand Americans are victims of sexual assault every year. Despite remarkably high rates of violence, less than half of victims receive medical treatment for their injuries and the violence they endured remains unacknowledged. In the novel, Beloved, author, Toni Morrison depicts the silent struggle and cruelty that slaves faced at the hands of their owners. The overall acceptance of violence and tragedy in society perpetuates cruelty and impacts the behavior of its people. Throughout the novel, Schoolteacher’s acts of cruelty and dehumanization influence the …show more content…
His ability to manipulate and dehumanize them destroys their sense of rationality and safety. Schoolteacher commits an act of cruelty as he watches and documents Sethe's rape, "I am full God damn it of two boys with mossy teeth, one sucking on my breast the other holding me down, their book-reading teacher watching and writing it up"(70). Schoolteacher's cruelty is shown through his dehumanization of Sethe. His disregard for her suffering and his treatment of her as nothing more than an aspect of his research has long lasting effects on Sethe and impacts her behavior and decisions. Schoolteacher's unexpected arrival at 124 causes Sethe to reach her breaking point and leads her to murdering Beloved. "Beloved, she my daughter. She mine. See. She come back to me of her own free will and I don't have to explain a thing. I didn't have time to explain before because it had to be done quick. Quick. She had to be safe and I put her where she would be"(200). Sethe's decision to kill her daughter to shelter her from experiencing the abuse and dehumanization that Schoolteacher inflicted upon her proves the severity of his actions. Her ability to justify her own act
Studies conducted by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence discovered that one in five women and one in eight men in the United States have experienced physical abuse and over two hundred thousand Americans are victims of sexual assault every year. Despite remarkably high rates of violence, less than half of victims receive medical treatment for their injuries and the violence they endured remains unacknowledged. In the novel, Beloved, author, Toni Morrison depicts the silent struggle and cruelty that slaves faced at the hands of their owners. The overall acceptance of violence and tragedy in society perpetuates cruelty and impacts the behavior of its people. Throughout the novel, Schoolteacher’s acts of cruelty and dehumanization influence the …show more content…
His ability to manipulate and dehumanize them destroys their sense of rationality and safety. Schoolteacher commits an act of cruelty as he watches and documents Sethe's rape, "I am full God damn it of two boys with mossy teeth, one sucking on my breast the other holding me down, their book-reading teacher watching and writing it up"(70). Schoolteacher's cruelty is shown through his dehumanization of Sethe. His disregard for her suffering and his treatment of her as nothing more than an aspect of his research has long lasting effects on Sethe and impacts her behavior and decisions. Schoolteacher's unexpected arrival at 124 causes Sethe to reach her breaking point and leads her to murdering Beloved. "Beloved, she my daughter. She mine. See. She come back to me of her own free will and I don't have to explain a thing. I didn't have time to explain before because it had to be done quick. Quick. She had to be safe and I put her where she would be"(200). Sethe's decision to kill her daughter to shelter her from experiencing the abuse and dehumanization that Schoolteacher inflicted upon her proves the severity of his actions. Her ability to justify her own act