Beloved has been the most difficult book for me to read, ever. Not because of length, style, or tone, but because of the content of the book. Slavery, and the long-term mental impacts that it has on slaves is so foreign to me that it makes writing, talking about, and trying to make connections with the book so difficult. One aspect of the book that I have been able to make some connection with and have developed a deeper understanding for is how the treatment of women and gender roles have remained so similar throughout the years.
Today, women and girls struggle to have a voice; the United States still has not had a female president, and the majority of CEOs in Fortune 500 companies are male. But besides not having positions of power, women struggle on a basic social level to be shown respect by both men and women. In Beloved, Sethe’s decisions are criticized and doubted by several characters in her town. Denver disapproves of Paul D being welcomed into the house, and Paul D disapproves of Beloved being welcomed into the house. It did not matter that Sethe welcomed either of them into her home with kind intentions and thoughts, she was criticized.
Another aspect of Beloved that I believe still exists today is the belief that there is a “man of the house” and that men are supposed to solve any problems that arise in the household. This concept is directly addressed when Paul D is surprised and confused when he realizes that he did not make 124 “safe” for Sethe and Denver (193). Men making a home “safe” and “secure” for women is a stereotype that is completely false. Trust, love, and family make a home “safe” in my opinion. Without these things, men have no impact on the safety of a household.
The fact that these realities are still existent for women today says something powerful about our society: it’s a man’s world, and if we want that to change, then men and women are going to have to work together.
I can totally agree with the organization of beloved and how it can be difficult to understand at times,furthermore In the outside world how you say women are not treated equally like men when it comes to job opportunities i sure do agree with you.
ReplyDeleteAmen Laurel! I felt really passionate reading this because I find reading Beloved hard to connect with other than looking at the treatment of women. I wrote a blog similar to how Paul D feels he needs to be a more dominant male figure in order to feel accepted. You are totally right men don't make a home safer, "Trust, Love, and Family" do.
ReplyDeleteAmen Laurel! I felt really passionate reading this because I find reading Beloved hard to connect with other than looking at the treatment of women. I wrote a blog similar to how Paul D feels he needs to be a more dominant male figure in order to feel accepted. You are totally right men don't make a home safer, "Trust, Love, and Family" do.
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