Death is a concept that is explored in depth in Beloved. The idea of death as an escape route is explored, especially in Sethe’s killing of Beloved. Also, Sethe’s claim that nothing ever dies seems to represent her views on death as something that is not permanent. This is also reflected in the way that Beloved keeps haunting Sethe and her family no matter how she tries to get rid of it. The book really explores what death is and how it changes a person.
This can be contrasted with Gunnar’s opinion of death in the White Boy Shuffle. Gunnar sees death as an escape route, as a way out from a world that will never be fair to his people. Sethe seems to see it in a similar light, as her killing of Beloved sends Beloved to a place where she is safe from the horrors of schoolteacher and slavery in general. However, there are some differences. Notably, in the White Boy Shuffle, there seems to be a much greater feeling of the permanent end that death brings. There is no overlap between the dead and the living, whereas in Beloved, the concept of death seems to be much more complex. This is really driven home by the way the book is written; giving us different pieces of the story at different times and intentionally not writing the book in chronological order along with the aspect that Beloved has literally not died, as she is present in the story in flesh. In the White Boy Shuffle, there is a finality that is represented by death being the final choice, when anyone dies, it has consequences in the world of the novel, but the rest of the characters move on. Death is a catalyst for things in the White Boy Shuffle, it leads to a safer path, but in Beloved, while death seems to lead to a safer path, it also poses the question of what death means, and what it means for someone to truly die.
I think another difference lies in Gunnar's total honesty with those around him, including the entire African-American people that he now governs. He does not plan on committing an atrocity for the sake of others and then living on with his guilt, he openly defies and condemns the enemy and calls others to go along with him, whether done intentionally or not. In this way Gunnar is able to preserve his humanity.
ReplyDeleteGunnar's perception of death seems to be more nihilistic than the portrayal of death in Beloved. There is the sense that death is what gives life meaning. In Beloved, although as you say, death can be perceived as an escape route it's because, as Sethe says, her plan as to have them all together on the other side. In this way,it's evident that Sethe still has hope for the potential of living and loving, still believes in people and death is not necessarily an act of futility.
ReplyDeleteGunnar's final poem in the novel, "Give Me Liberty or Give Me Crib-Death," seems almost like a direct allusion to _Beloved_ (and I wish I had my copy of the novel on hand to quote it directly). The line about "caveat emptor" near the end evokes Sethe in the woodshed, and explores exactly the same logic: in a society where the body is "owned" and exploited by another, the most effective way to subvert that economy is to deliberately harm or kill that body, as the one remaining act of self-determination. It's a really hard idea to get our head around, and we're far away from the feel-good paeans to racial harmony and "color-blindness" at this point.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge for many readers is to see this same logic applying in 1996 as strongly as it applied in 1855.