Blog #3 - Character Analysis

The protagonist in Beloved is a strong African American women named Sethe. Sethe played many roles throughout her life including, slave, mother, wife, companion, and daughter-in-law. Her most classifying characteristic is her devotion to her children. She would do anything for them in order to make sure that their lives would not turn out like hers was. Unfortunately, her strong sense of motherly love and protection over her children led to almost murdering them to save them. Although others looked down upon her for this and disapproved, Sethe is still a very respectable woman. Her children were her life and this was extremely evident when Beloved came back as a real person. Sethe devoted all her time and cares to Beloved doing everything in her power to please her. Also, Sethe got her children off the slave plantation and then even made it up north herself, pregnant and alone. After being abused, violated, and whipped profusely, Sethe had the strength to make it to freedom on her own. There was so many aspects of her past life that could’ve made a normal person break down, but not Sethe. She put them behind her and didn’t let it get in the way of her living until the very end. That one woman endured so many obstacles and hardships in her life and found a way to overcome them. Even when times seemed like the couldn’t get any worse, Sethe was still chugging along. Although not necessarily by choice, Sethe was also a very independent woman. She escaped the plantation without knowing her husband’s whereabouts. On top of that, she lived without him the rest of her life, and still stayed strong when her support, Baby Suggs, died. She wasn’t afraid of much because she had been through what she thought was the worst. In the end, Sethe’s past gets the best of her and succumbs her life as she waits on Beloved hand and foot. She becomes stuck in an oppressive state and is unable to shake it unless she confronts the past and accepts it for what it was. All in all, Sethe had to deal with some horrific things yet she made the best of it and fought to get by.