Why did Sethe try to kill Beloved in “Beloved”?

Answer

Why did Sethe try to kill Beloved in “Beloved”? [NU: 2018] ★★★

In “Beloved” (1987) by Toni Morrison (1931–2019), Sethe is one of the most tragic and complex figures. She is a mother marked by slavery, memory, and pain. Her act of killing her baby girl (later known as Beloved) shows love, fear, and desperation.    

Fear of Slavery: Sethe kills her child because she does not want her children to return to slavery. She escaped from Sweet Home but knew the schoolteacher was coming. She believed death was better than slavery. In Part One, Ch. 18, she says, 

“…if I hadn’t killed her she would have died and that is something I could not bear to happen to her.”

This shows Sethe’s belief that slavery destroys life more than death itself.

A Mother’s Love: Sethe’s act comes from extreme motherly love. She believes love means saving children from suffering. She tells Paul D that her love is very strong. In Part One, Ch. 3, she says,

“Thin love ain’t love at all.”

This shows that Sethe thinks real love must be deep and powerful, even if it leads to painful choices. Her love drives her to do the unthinkable. 

Past Trauma: Sethe’s own memories influence her decision. At Sweet Home, she was treated like an animal. In Part One, Ch. 6, she remembers,

“They used cowhide on you? … And they took my milk.” 

Her milk, meant for her baby, was stolen. This memory never leaves her. It makes her believe her children must never face the same abuse.

The Infanticide Act: Sethe succeeded in killing her baby girl. The child was still very young, only crawling. This was the daughter later remembered as Beloved. When the schoolteacher came to recapture her, Sethe was filled with terror. She believed slavery was worse than death.

In her desperation, she tried to kill all of her children so they would never