Reflecting and Responding: Who has the power?

“Mi esposo es la cabeza de la casa, pero yo soy el cuello en que lo mueve”.

I stumbled across this quote from a conversation of my gossiping aunts. My aunt heard it on the radio, regarding “machismo”. The woman who made this humorous statement was saying that even though her husband is the head of the house, she is the one who controls his neck, directing where her husband’s head moves. I found it amusing to hear how much feminine pride the woman had in herself, something that is very unlike of Sethe. Sethe is portrayed as a very strong/hardworking woman with some weaknesses and flaws. However, throughout the novel Sethe somehow controls Paul D in a way that may not be too noticeable.

Sethe has an empty soul that needs to be filled with happiness. I have noticed that her sense of loneliness has almost been used as a secret weapon. She often feels rejected by the people around her. For this reason, Sethe is unable to be happy. When Paul D comes knocking on her door she feels relieved that she has finally found one of her own people from Sweet Home. Reading Beloved through the feminist lens, has allowed me to see something that I didn’t think about before. Men are usually always seen as the superior and dominant figure in society. However, here we can see how much power Sethe actually holds even though she is more quiet and exclusive. With that being said, Sethe’s desire for affection has made Paul D directly engage in having intercourse with her, as if he was under her spell. Not only that, but there is a sense of jealousy from Paul D when Sethe decides to foster Beloved. The gender roles in Beloved seem to switch at times. In some circumstances the power is dominated by the male character’s. Nonetheless, the women in the novel, like Sethe who is more reserved, have power that is not physically distributed. Sethe is able to control some people with her vulnerable personality.