Can a mother's love be so strong that she could kill her own children to save them from being harmed by others? This is the question that is being asked throughout Toni Morrison's Novel Beloved. The character Sethe, in the novel, had killed her own daughter beloved and attempted to kill the rest of her children in the fear that they would live the same tortured life that she had. With Sethe's decision to brutally kill her children she had confronted the issues of morality, religion and spirituality. She had made the decision to kill her children who were not yet old enough to decide whether they wanted to live or die. She believed she could save her children from a life of abuse s but the only children who have been abused in the novel are those who she has hurt herself. Although, I personally have never been placed in a situation like Sethe's, I strongly disagree with what she has decided for her children.
When reading about the different stories of slaves in America it is obvious that not one of these slaves lived a happy, healthy life. It was also clearly known that the slaves in America were fed little to eat, wore few articles of clothing and were often beat for no good reason. With this in mind it is obvious that no person whether, black or white would want this life for themselves and especially for their children. With always being treated so badly it is evident that there was no morality being practiced between white people as well as between blacks. Sethe might never have understood that what she did to her children was wrong. The more the black slaves were treated like animals the more they would act like them. Although we see this horrible mistreatment in the lives of slaves it is the life that they have been given. Most of the slaves will live this life in hopes that someday they will be free from chains and become equal to the white race. I believe that Sethe had taken away beloved's life prematurely and that she like many other slaves could have become someone important in life.
