When the reader is initially introduced to Sethe, she seems to be the classic matronly and comforting concept of a mother. As the narrative progresses, and the truth behind what happened to Beloved is revealed through Stamp Paid and Paul D’s conversation, one is forced to reconsider what this archetype truly means. Sethe’s actions do not make her any less of a mother and while infanticide is commonly (and with good reason) thought to negate a mother’s love, Sethe is an extraordinary case. While she does not speak of what she has done, it is clear that her actions continue to haunt her. Similarly to Paul D, Sethe’s desire to forget becomes her downfall. When Beloved, the supposed reincarnation of her slain daughter, appears on her doorstep, Sethe becomes a slave to her subconscious. Seeing what she presumes to be her daughter, all of the memories she wished to repress and move on from are unlocked, because previously, "To Sethe, the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay” (42). With the coming of the ghost of her lost daughter, Sethe’s desire metamorphosizes from emotional to material. She begins to buy luxury fabrics, foods, etc. in order to satisfy Beloved’s intense desire for anything material. This interaction is reminiscent of the concept of trying to buy someone’s love, in the sense that Sethe caters to every want and need Beloved has in order to make up for the past in the
When the reader is initially introduced to Sethe, she seems to be the classic matronly and comforting concept of a mother. As the narrative progresses, and the truth behind what happened to Beloved is revealed through Stamp Paid and Paul D’s conversation, one is forced to reconsider what this archetype truly means. Sethe’s actions do not make her any less of a mother and while infanticide is commonly (and with good reason) thought to negate a mother’s love, Sethe is an extraordinary case. While she does not speak of what she has done, it is clear that her actions continue to haunt her. Similarly to Paul D, Sethe’s desire to forget becomes her downfall. When Beloved, the supposed reincarnation of her slain daughter, appears on her doorstep, Sethe becomes a slave to her subconscious. Seeing what she presumes to be her daughter, all of the memories she wished to repress and move on from are unlocked, because previously, "To Sethe, the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay” (42). With the coming of the ghost of her lost daughter, Sethe’s desire metamorphosizes from emotional to material. She begins to buy luxury fabrics, foods, etc. in order to satisfy Beloved’s intense desire for anything material. This interaction is reminiscent of the concept of trying to buy someone’s love, in the sense that Sethe caters to every want and need Beloved has in order to make up for the past in the