The physical and emotional brutality suffered by Paul D at Sweet Home and as part of a chain gang has caused him to bury his feelings into the rusted tobacco tin of his heart. He represses his painful memories and believes that the key to survival is to not becoming attached to anything. On the other hand Sethe, suppresses her feeling through the devotion of her children. Unwilling to reveal her children to the physical, emotional, and spiritual trauma she has endured as a slave, she tries to murder them. In her mind this act was done out of motherly love and protection. Unlike Paul D and Sethe, Baby Suggs's hosted spiritual and religious gatherings in Cincinnati to help repress her pains from slavery. She was the only woman at Sweet Home, besides Sethe, that was used and abused as a baby factory. Each child she gave birth to was taken away from her and sold off to slavery. With moral support of the city's black residents, Baby Suggs's speeches at the Clearing made her an inspiration for the community. The events from the past eventually make it impossible for these characters to hide from their true feelings. .
Dubinsky 3.
Throughout the story Paul D, Sethe, and Baby Suggs encounter flashbacks from slavery. Each relapse brings each character closer to their true identity. During his stay at 124 Bluestone Rd, Paul D becomes Sethe's lover and the object of Denver's, Sethe's daughter, and Beloved's jealousy. Through his union with Sethe, Paul D becomes more comfortable talking about the past. For example, in Georgia, Paul D suffered a second enslavement with guards that held life and death power to sexually abuse the prisoners. (Kubitschek, 117) .
As more flashbacks occur he continuously doubts certain aspects of his identity, such as the source of his manhood and his value as a person. At one point, Paul D tells Sethe that he has been overpowered by Beloved and to reclaim Sethe, his manhood, and to escape Beloved's control, he suggests that they conceive a child.
