Paul D. Challenging the View that Morrison is a Feminist Writer

Does the character of Paul D challenge the view that Morrison is a

feminist writer?

Paul D is a character who has suffered tremendously at the hands of

slavery. His brutal ordeals as part of the chain gang show how much

this has affected him. This is designed to create pathos for the

character and this pathos is heightened when he is portrayed as a

strong yet kind character, a ‘gentle giant.’ He is also proud of his

masculinity and values a sense of autonomy when he is allowed one.

This suggests that his character does challenge the view that Morrison

is a feminist writer. Alternatively, the character of Paul D could be

viewed as a weak one. His strength at times is portrayed as negative

and his “manly” thoughts mean that he cannot understand Sethe’s love

for her children. Also, he is seduced by Beloved and, for the majority

of the novel; he is denied a sense of autonomy, suggesting a theme of

masculine inferiority. This is a view that would support the idea that

Morrison was a feminist writer.

Paul D is displayed as a strong character, and this strength is

positive towards men as a whole. When he enters Sethe’s house, 124,

for the first time, he holds Sethe’s breasts to take the weight of her

“but for a while.” This is symbolic of his manly strength relieving

Sethe of the weight if her past. This causes Sethe to wonder whether

there actually was a way to “Trust things and remember things” and if

there was a way to confront her past. This is shown as a positive

aspect of Paul D’s arrival thus it cannot be seen as pro-feminine. The

confrontation between Paul D and the poltergeist “Beloved” is violent

as whilst Paul D “held the table with two legs, he bashed it about

wrecking everything.” This again sho...

... middle of paper ...

... portray him like this would suggest an

inclination towards more feminist views.

Paul D’s character does present a number of positive qualities: he is

kind and strong, and pathos can be seen to emit from him a numerous

points in the novel. However he is thrown out of 124 and turns to

alcohol because he cannot accept what has happened, demonstrating a

weakness. This feeling is heightened when he is seduced by Beloved,

symbolising the power of women over men. This over-riding example

could be seen to support the fact that Morrison is a feminist writer.

However the fact that she shows Paul D as strong and kind on the

whole, and that she shows Sethe and Beloved as weak at times would

mean that although there are feminist aspects to “Beloved,” overall,

Morrison is less biased in her writing preferring to portray both

sexes as equals in strength and weakness.