In The Woodshed: Was Sethe Justified?

Nishadi Perera
Davis
6747 Literature
14 May 2017
In the Woodshed: Was Sethe Justified?
There is no denying the impact of slavery on African-American literature. Many black author's ancestors arrived against their will on ships that were over-occupied. African American scholar and social historian Lerone Bennet Jr. describes slavery as "the saga of the black men whose backs were lacerated by the white men. It is the tale of the black women who were manhandled by their white masters." Morrison drew inspiration from slavery and the slave ships to document Sethe coming to terms with a terrible past, and to overcome a frightening time in her life.
The most obvious aspect of the novel Morrison adapted from real life is that of Margaret Garner. Garner
Women were subjugated by men, often raped, left to take care of a child, and see it ripped from their hands at a young age to be exploited for labor on a farm. Slavery had so many damaging effects, physically and psychologically. Physically, she carries scars resembling that of "A chokecherry tree. Trunk, branches, and even leaves" (Morrison 16). Sethe has a nonchalant attitude discussing the tree, joking, "Could have cherries too now for all I know" (16). But the most disturbing abuse, the one that elicits the most reaction when Paul D questions her, is "And they took my milk!" (17). Assistant professor of English at Lady Irwin College Shubhanku Kochar discusses the mentality Sethe has in making her choice in the
Property is property because of its assigned properties. Once the definitions are founded on what is" 'natural to a thing,' "they are not alienable, transformable, or escapable.
Slaves are a commercial cost to him. He sees nothing to claim, figuring he has lost money because Sethe is too crazed. Further on, he warns his nephew of "that kind of confusion" (Morrison 150). Schoolteacher warned one of his nephews not to see Sethe as a mother doing something beneficial. They simply are not people, and that is a big justification for the physical and mental abuse at Sweet Home. So was Sethe justified in trying to kill her children? Life was terrible for women, and her slavemaster clearly would not make life easy for her. Bite this analogy: A jewish woman hears the S.S. breaking into her home. She hides in the basement, an area between the walls only she knows about. As the S.S. descend the stairs, her youngest child starts to cry, so she smothers the baby. When Sethe and Paul D confront each other, she exclaims, "I took my babies where they'd be safe" (164). Sethe did not fully go through with her plan, she was going to commit homicide and then suicide, so they can all live happily as a family in the