Masculinity in Toni Morrisons Beloved

This assignment will analyze the masculinity in Toni Morrison's novel Beloved.

Men are not often associated with the idea of motherhood, but in this novel, various fathers and father figures are present and have very important roles. Sethe, the protagonist is a mother who has to protect and provide for her family without the help of a man. The men in her life, such as her former master Mr. Garner and her current lover Paul D., cannot fully understand or support Sethe because they do not share the experience of motherhood. This disconnection highlights the ways in which masculinity prevents men from empathizing with women and vice versa.

In Beloved, Morrison challenges traditional ideas about gender by presenting characters that defy easy categorization. Male characters like Baby Suggs and Stamp Paid to occupy traditionally feminine roles, while female characters like Beloved and Denver take on more traditionally masculine characteristics. The blurring of these traditional gender roles allows Morrison to explore the fluidity of gender and the ways in which it is socially constructed.

Morrison also uses the character of Beloved to comment on the societal expectation that mothers must be self-sacrificial. Sethe's decision to kill her daughter rather than allow her to be enslaved highlights the ways in which women are expected to put their children's needs above their own. This double standard is not applied to fathers, who are not expected to make the same sacrifices for their children. In Beloved, Morrison challenges these expectations and argues that mothers should be allowed to put their own needs first.

Ultimately, Morrison uses the characters in Beloved to explore the complex nature of gender and its role in society. By presenting characters that defy traditional gender norms, Morrison highlights the ways in which gender is socially constructed and fluid. Additionally, Morrison uses the character of Beloved to challenge the double standard that mothers must be self-sacrificial. These challenges to traditional ideas about gender highlight Morrison's belief that we should all be allowed to express our own unique identities.