The Loving Murderer

Perspective is a major aspect of the slave era. From the
white master’s point of view, treating another human being like a possession and
an animal was completely justified. However, through the eyes of the slave,
their own identities and thoughts were being stripped away. Perspective also
affects the lives of Sethe and her family in Toni Morrison’s Beloved. The
controversial murder of Sethe’s baby causes the reader to question if
perspective is not the only cloud covering the truth, but if love too plays a
role in altering it. In the novel, Paul D accuses Sethe of “loving too thick”
when she impulsively kills one of her children to “protect” them from returning
to a life of slavery. Paul D views her actions as animalistic, reminding Sethe
that she “has two feet, not four”. However,
Sethe sees the murder differently. In her
mind, death was the only alternative to returning to slavery. She worked so
hard to run away with her children and when the schoolteacher showed up at 124,
she did what she thought was best. Her
barbaric act of love prevented three of her children from the slave life, but sacrificed
one. This is the common debate of perspective. Is it right for one so commit a
crime if it is justified by love? Or should morality always prevail?