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Manhood In Toni Morrison's Beloved

Decent Essays

In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, characters are defined by what they possess and the amount of control they have of their possession. In the novel, the main possessive relationship is seen between Sethe and her dead child Beloved but possession is prevalent for other characters such as Paul D. Morrison shows the Paul D’ s possession of his manhood by demonstrating how it’s determined by his success of making a life with Sethe and his ability to make his own choices.
Paul D’s manhood is determined by his desire to make a life with Sethe. In the beginning, Paul D tries to convince Sethe that she can make a life if she does so with him. He claims that he will always be there for her and help her in whatever endeavour she goes on. “We can make a life, girl. A life,” (Morrison 55). Right before Paul D’s proclamation, Denver had questioned how long Paul D would “hang around” for, causing him to be hurt. He admits that that despite being a nomad, going all over the country, he wants to stay with Sethe and make a life with her. At this point, Paul D’s intentions look to be out of love and not pride. He purposely does not …show more content…

When Paul D has sex with Beloved, it’s not the shame that makes him not feel like a man, it’s the fact that he felt like he didn’t want to participate and still did so. “Fucking her when he was convinced he didn’t want to,” (Morrison 148). While Paul D is somewhat ashamed of his “appetite” in having sex with Beloved, it’s the fact that he was sure he didn’t want to that really puts him off. Paul D goes on to list the things he has done to stay alive and that he is a man because he chose and wanted to do those things. Near the end, Paul D recognizes and chooses to live a life with Sethe because she is a friend of his mind and allows his manhood to stay intact. “Only this woman Sethe could have left him his manhood like that,” (Morrison

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