Sethe was Abandoned from the Beginning
After last week’s Friday discussion, I was inspired to dive deeper into the following questions:
Was there a “right” way or a “different” way the traumatic event could have panned out?
whether Sethe should have told Paul D about what happened 18 years ago, and whether it was Stamp’s right to do so?
Disclaimer: I am not trying to give a definitive answers in this blog post, rather adding another perspective on the matter. I am also interested in what you all think, and your stances, so feel free to share them in the comments.
(1)
When reflecting on Sethe’s actions, it’s easy to say, from a distance, that what she did was inconceivable—that there had to have been ‘another way’. But stepping into her shoes reveals a much darker reality. Sethe’s decision was shaped by a world where she had faced unimaginable suffering, where her children were not guaranteed safety or humanity. The sight of the schoolteacher’s hat alone was enough to reignite the terror that had governed her life under enslavement. In her mind, there was no alternative but to act decisively to protect her children from a future filled with degradation. The tragedy is not that Sethe’s choice seems extreme but that it feels, in context, almost inevitable. What else could she have done? If she had left her children alive for the schoolteacher to “collect,” she would have condemned them to a fate worse than death, a fate she knew all too well.
Perhaps the only way things might have been different is if the community had stood with her. Had they provided support and protection, maybe Sethe wouldn’t have been forced to face her fears alone. Yet the community had abandoned her and her family well before the tragedy. Baby Suggs, standing in the field after her celebratory feast, felt the sting of jealousy from those around her. Her joy—so rare and hard-earned—was deemed excessive, as if she was flaunting good fortune she had no right to claim. The community turned its back on her and Sethe.
This jealousy and judgment turned into resentment, blinding the community to the needs of a family that had just begun to heal. Their guilt and shame transformed into a harsh moral condemnation of Sethe. In their eyes, she became a monster, unworthy of sympathy or understanding. But was this judgment fair? They had 28 days to know Sethe, to see her love for her children, her courage in escaping to 124, and her profound commitment to building a better life. Yet they chose not to “see” her. If they had, might they have acted differently? Might they have offered help instead of ostracizing her from society?
(2)
Ultimately, I believe the story of what happened 18 years ago was Sethe’s alone to tell. It wasn’t Stamp Paid’s place to reveal it to Paul D, even if he believed it was for the best. Trauma is deeply personal, and Sethe should have had the right to choose when—or if—to share that part of her life. Stamp’s intentions may have been well-meaning, but when it comes to something as deeply painful as this, providing additional context or insight is crucial. If told from different perspectives, with their inherent biases, it is instead a story that shocks rather than informs. Paul D’s reaction was valid—how could it not be? But his quick judgment of Sethe was not. To understand her actions, one must first seek to understand her. Even after all these years, no one, not Paul D nor the community, has tried to truly see the situation through Sethe’s eyes. The community continues to hold onto their sense of moral superiority, conveniently ignoring their own role in the events that led to the tragedy. What would we have done in Sethe’s place? It’s easy to say we would have acted differently, but the truth is, none of us have lived her life. None of us have experienced her pain, her terror, or her love for her children in the way she did.
This post isn’t an attempt to condone or condemn Sethe’s actions. Rather, it’s a reminder of how difficult it is to judge decisions made under unimaginable circumstances. Sethe’s choice wasn’t made lightly, and when we discuss it, we must tread carefully. Without her lived experience, it is impossible to fully understand the weight of the decision she carried.
I like how your final paragraph echoes Baby Suggs's take on Sethe's "rough choice"--"she could neither condone nor condemn." And Baby Suggs is one of the monumental moral characters in this novel, alongside her old friend Stamp Paid, so we should pay close attention when she's weighing in on the controversy. So one "moral" of this crazy story might be that judgment of this act is impossible by anyone who is not in Sethe's situation. We'd like to THINK that "there must have been another way," but I've thought about this scene a lot over the years, and I can't think of a single good suggestion as to what that "other way" might have been. And note also that Paul doesn't have any ideas--he's just expressing a wish that there "must have" been a choice.
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm also struck by how closely your scrutiny of Stamp's decision to talk to Paul echoes his own reflection and reconsideration of his motives at the start of part 2--he TOO is not at all sure that he's acted appropriately, but as Paul says to Sethe when he shares his theory about Halle in the loft, "I can't take it back, but I can leave it there."
I was really excited when I read part 2 of your blog, since it immediately reminded me of the final sentence: "This is not a story to pass on". I think you are right, and that the trauma in its whole---unless only examined and processed by those it affects---must be acknowledged but left alone. If it is told on by someone other than Sethe or someone who will not explain who Sethe is first, the story becomes a newspaper spectacle. There is necessity to processing trauma but there is a limit where it becomes something other than a lesson of the past. This was a great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Noor! I like how you talk about how the community has never tried to understand Sethe and instead criticizes her while maintaining their moral high ground. Yet, despite their qualms with Sethe, they still come to her aid and support her after Denver leaves I24 to get a job and help her mother, making crucial connections with the Cincinnati black community.
ReplyDelete