Feminist Lens

Text: The Bonds of Love and the Boundaries of Self in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” by Barbara A. Schapiro

Critical Lens: Feminist Lens

In the article, The Bonds of Love and the Boundaries of Self in Toni Morrison’s “Beloved” by Barbara A. Schapiro, it is about Schapiro talking about how people treat others differently.  She talks about Beloved and was being honest about the book.  Many men in the book look at women differently.

One thing that I agree with this article would be how women like Sethe and Beloved were treated differently.  Sethe was treated differently, because Schapiro was talking about how Sethe was raped from men. Schapiro said, “Sethe repeatedly asserts that the worst aspect of her rape was that the white boys "took my milk!" (17).  This shows that Sethe was not treated right when she was a slave.  The men wanted to raped her for her milk, because the men did not want her baby to have any milk left to drink.  Sethe did not know what to do when she was raped from the men, because she did not have any rights to say anything to the men that were her master and the men would want to do something to her.  Another one that Schapiro was talking about would be how Beloved was trying to seduced Paul D, when he was alone in the living room, trying to sleep.  Schapiro said, “Beloved repeatedly commands Paul D, "I want you to touch me on the inside part and call me my name" (116).  This shows that Schapiro was talking about Beloved kept repeating that to Paul D, and later on, he gave up and they had sex together.  Something about Beloved is making Paul D, want to have sex with her.

Something that I would disagree with this article would be how they kept talking about Beloved.  Schapiro was talking about how this Denver and Sethe were "possessing and objectifying" each other.

"Beloved

You are my sister

You are my daughter

You are my face;you are me

I have found you again; you have come back to me

You are my Beloved

You are mine

You are mine

You are mine" (255).

As you can see, this shows how "sticky" they to Beloved.  They are claiming her as if she is an object to them.  Sethe and Denver are "possessing and objectifying" Beloved by how they are saying "You are my sister", "You are my daughter", and "You are mine". This shows "possessing and objectifying" by how they are clingy to their ghost child. They do not want her to live and want her to stay with her forever.