How Does Baby Suggs treat Sethe?
Beloved is a notable literary work by Toni Morrison. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, to various questions of Beloved.
Answer
How does Baby Suggs treat Sethe?
Baby Suggs plays a crucial role in Sethe’s life by providing her with love, support, and understanding in the novel “Beloved” (1987) by Toni Morrison (1931-2019). Sethe’s mother-in-law, Baby Suggs, offers both emotional and physical care to Sethe when she arrives at 124 after escaping from slavery. Their relationship is central to the novel and reflects the themes of motherhood, healing, and community.
A Mother’s Care: Baby Suggs treats Sethe with the care and compassion of a mother, even though she is not Sethe’s biological mother. When Sethe arrives at 124, Baby Suggs takes her in and nurses her back to health. This care shows Baby Suggs’s deep love and commitment to Sethe, treating her as one of her children. Baby Suggs says:
Don’t study war no more. Lay all that mess down.
Baby Suggs is urging her to stop fighting against her past and begin healing and finding peace.
Emotional Support: Beyond physical care, Baby Suggs provides Sethe with emotional support. She helps her cope with the trauma of her past. Baby Suggs understands Sethe’s pain and offers her a safe healing space. She does not judge Sethe for the difficult choices she has made, including the killing of her child, but instead tries to comfort and guide her.
Lay em down, Sethe. Sword and shield. Down. Down. Both of em down.
This quote is from a moment when Baby Suggs comforts Sethe. She encourages her to let go of her burdens and past pain.
A Source of Strength: Baby Suggs gives Sethe spiritual strength. She holds gatherings in the Clearing where she teaches love and self-acceptance. These teachings help Sethe and others in the community. Baby Suggs encourages Sethe to find strength inside herself and love herself, even after all her pain. This guidance helps Sethe start to heal from her trauma.
To sum up, In “Beloved,” Baby Suggs treats Sethe with deep love, care, and understanding, acting as both a mother figure and a spiritual guide. She provides Sethe with the physical and emotional support she needs to survive and heal from her past.