Theme Of Cruelty In Beloved

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Alec Li
Period 6
Maples, Honors English III
6 March 2016

Cruelty in Beloved

In Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved, the white slave plantation owner named Schoolteacher commits brutal actions against the African American slaves, including Sethe and Paul D, inflicting pain not only on their pasts but scarring their future lives as well. Cruelty is defined as an act of malice towards another person or party, both physical or psychological, and regardless of the intention of the perpetrator. Throughout the story, Schoolteacher goes through many encounters with the African American slaves that are evidently categorized under cruelty. As a white man during the time period after the American Civil War, Schoolteacher exploits Sethe and Paul D among other
Sethe had her breast milk stolen after Schoolteacher instructed his nephews to do so, as a result of Sethe telling Mrs. Garner about how Schoolteacher whipped her back. The “two boys with mossy teeth” not only stole the milk, but also stole the sense of motherhood from Sethe (70). Morrison uses this descriptive detail to describe the nephews, in order to associate the perpetrators with being dirty, and ultimately barbaric. The owning of slaves may have been a social factor needed flourish and survive as white plantations owners during the post-Civil War era, but the specific violation of Sethe’s milk confirms that Schoolteacher and his nephews extended the boundaries of cruelty to be intentional, to hurt Sethe. Thus, Sethe is very protective of her milk after that incident, especially now that she believes she is reunited with a physical manifestation of Beloved. In her internal monologue, Sethe reinforces the exclusivity of her milk to her children, as “nobody will ever get [her] milk no more except [her] own children” (200). Although she no longer lives in Sweet Home, Sethe still remembers and references the time where she was abused under cruel conditions, and works harder than ever to provide a positive environment for her children, both Denver and

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