#3_Weakness Disguised as Strength

04/16/15

Throughout the novel, I have noticed a woman who has been through too much in her life to bear. Although she is trying her best to support her daughter, Paul D, and Beloved, we can see that her strength is almost an act. Sethe is very broken, which is an understatement. As a woman, she has been manipulated and abused so many times, that seeing light in the world is so difficult. This is heartbreaking. Something that has kept me up thinking about is the scene in the barn with the Schoolteacher and his Nephews. Essentially, Sethe was sexually assaulted and her "milk was stolen".
To a woman, breast milk and pregnancy are things that are supposed to be amazing. Yet, too many pregnancies and in the days of Slavery, breast milk theft are all the outcome of sexual assault.  In society, women are over sexualized both in the media and out in the open. Women are constantly being made to feel like objects. With not being able to be shirtless in public and with the lingerie in commercial, women are without a doubt being treated differently then men. This is where my Feminist Views come in. I think that women should be able to walk down the streets shirtless just as men do. I think women should hold "man jobs" if they choose to. I think women are just as empowered as men are.
Sethe, deep down, is a very strong woman and I admire her for all she is trying to do to support her family. She is an amazing mother to Denver. Although Denver acts as a child and is quite underdeveloped for her age, Sethe still treats her like a young woman. Sethe supports her and is calm when she misbehaves. Sethe also provides for Paul D and Denver. She works hard to do so. She picks herself up every morning and never gives up on her life even though it would be so easy. She escaped a fate that should have killed her and turned it around to make such a positive light for herself.