Critical Lens Expert - Motherhood in Toni Morrison's "Beloved"

Sandra Mayfield's "Motherhood in Toni Morrison's Beloved: A Phsycological Reading" highlights important aspects of Sethe's character as a strong female personality in Beloved. At the beginning of the article, her interpretation of Sethe's confusion with her origin fascinated me. The way that Morrison portrays Sethe's relationship with her own mother - only having really known her as a hanging body branded with a tattoo - creates an association between motherhood and death for Sethe, according to Mayfield. While she had a "near-perfect" example of a mother in Baby Suggs and to some extent in Ms. Garner (Mayfield argues), she had not known the mom who gave her life, leaving her understandably lost. It was interesting to think of how the obscurity of her past and her relationship with her own mother may make her ponder the reason for her existence and drive her every move as a woman and a mother. This was an idea I hadn't previously given much thought. I did, however, find it incredible interesting and useful in analyzing her complicated and twisted relationship with her own children. 

Specifically, this gave me a lot of insight into why she is so attached to her own daughter, when time and time again she has been warned how dangerous it can be to love anything so much (by Paul D in chapter 4 and again by Elle in a flashback in chapter 9). After reading Mayfield's understanding of Sethe's past and more specifically her relationship with her own mother, I have more of an understanding for her attachment to Denver. I feel as though Sethe has kept her memory of her own mother locked away, and completely invested her life in being, for her daughter, what she lacked from her mother.

 The discussion about how her situation at Sweet Home helped form her hardworking, forward-looking character was something I also found very insightful. In the article, Mayfield touches on how many black mothers who suffered from living during the era of slavery, were also able to unveil an extremely creative side of themselves through their experiences, using examples from essays and books. This idea is incredibly applicable to Sethe in Beloved. While her experiences were nothing short of terrorizing, her motivations to move away from the small plantation owned by the Garner family emphasize her strong-woman character. Some of the moments most monumental to the life of a mother - her marriage and her care after the birth of her children - were disregarded by those around her. Nonetheless, she held hopes of a better life and held her head high in the lowest of times. After being dehumanized in the taking of her milk and beating of her back and feet, Sethe makes what Mayfield describes as a "miraculous escape." Her strong nature as a woman and mother is undeniably what allows her to push forward.
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Another Thought

"Slavery had much more to do with sexism than it did racism, and that the legacy has lived long after the days of literal slavery have come and gone." After reading this point Mayfield briefly made, my mind began to race. Her thought is short and to the point, and I was left wanting more of an explanation.

I feel as though the quote to the right speaks volumes to what Mayfield was beginning to express about sexism and slavery. While technically we no longer live in a society where a certain group of people are belittled and looked down upon by our men, as it was during slavery,
however in a way we really do.