1) Paul D proposed to Sethe that he wanted her pregnant (with his baby) on page 151; this proposal was not particularly planned by Paul D and later on the page it states, “and suddenly it was a solution: a way to hold on to her, document his manhood and break out of the girl’s spell on him---all in one.” Though Sethe has “all the children she needed” and even laughed about the idea, in what ways does this situation show the “spell” that Beloved has casted and why it affects Paul D in such a strange way? Why is this passage relevant?
2)In which ways does Sethe’s character change when she starts to allow Paul D to start sleeping inside? How does this show Sethe’s character strengthen and overcome the “evil power” of the ghost and how does the interactions between Sethe, Paul D, and Beloved change after this event?
The “spell” Beloved has cast on Paul D is strange because he obviously adores Sethe, yet he cannot turn down Beloved’s advances. He knows he “was not leaving [Sethe], wouldn’t ever” and is ready to end his nomadic lifestyle for her, but he can’t say no to Beloved! I would like to blame this on her supernatural powers because he seems like a good guy. It appears like Beloved wants to use her “powers” to come between Paul D and Sethe because she desires Sethe’s full attention and affections. She also interrupts them during their sweet moment in the snow and this scene seems to be symbolic of these intentions. Her mean objective of getting between them is upsetting because Sethe seems ready to let her guard down for Paul D but this lie will probably soon come between them.
ReplyDeleteBeloved definitely seems like a force of opposition between Paul D and Sethe. When Sethe invites Paul D to come back into the bedroom upstairs he can feel "threads of malice creeping toward him from Beloved's side of the table" (154). I feel like Paul D sees getting Sethe pregnant as a solution to his current problems but without considering everything that would come with that commitment. He seems to frequently do this kind of thing to try to patch things up and involve himself in the family without fully understanding the consequences of his actions on other people. I would say this is a result of living so long as a drifter with no lasting ties to anyone he comes across.
ReplyDeleteThe interpretation I got from reading this passage is that Paul D’s desire to break Beloved’s “spell” developed out of selfish reasons. Reasons more aligned with his own happiness, such as the breaking out of Beloved’s spell, reclaiming his manhood, and having Sethe focus her attention on him. These intentions are without foresight however. As evidenced by Paul D’s past of roaming the country, the reader gets the sense that he cannot commit to anything. Even if he was fully committed, Sethe might not be willing to let her guard down. A possible symbol of this is seen on page 152, when Paul D notices “the black trees lining the roadside, their defending arms raised against attack”. This passage might foreshadow the seemingly inevitable conflict among Paul D, Sethe, and Beloved.
ReplyDeleteBeloved's spell can be seen in this situation by her constant efforts to separate Sethe and Paul D. Being a drifter for a long time it can be infered that Paul D. moves based on his emotions. The uneasiness of the house caused by the supernatural powers of Beloved eventually moved him far from the house and into her ultimate control with sexual relations. After telling Sethe he wants her pregnant, their moment of intimacy is also disturbed by Beloved. Sethe's attention immediately goes to Beloved, Sethe "steps away and infront of Paul D." and "anger shot through his stomach". Even though Sethe invites Paul D. to her bed, Paul D. remains uncomfortable and his place of importance is clearly seen as behind Beloved.
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ReplyDeleteThis proposal is a good example of the "spell". He never intended on proposing the idea and it wasn't until he felt that he was losing a part of himself that he spontaneously popped the question. It seems he did it out of the desire to find the person he had lost due to Beloved's manipulative control over him. Although I don't know what he is exactly thinking, by asking the question he probably feels that he is breaking out of some of her control. This is important because it emphasizes the conflict between Beloved, Sethe and Paul D that seems to be growing stronger. This conflict can be seen as Paul D "fought anger that shot through his stomach all the way home." while he walks behind Sethe and Beloved together. His anger illustrates his conflicting emotions as well.
ReplyDeletePaul D's proposal to Sethe to have his baby is the most rational way he can think of to break out of Beloved's "spell" over him. It is his way of holding onto himself before he is completely lost in Beloved's strange hold of him. It seems as though Beloved wants to come between Paul D and Sethe and breaking them apart by making Paul D question his manhood is the best way to do it. Now he is questioning his rationale and devising selfish ways to keep himself sane, "since he could not say what he planned to, he said something he didn't know was on his mind. 'I want you pregnant..."
ReplyDeletePaul D's proposal shows the power of the spell first of all in the fact that he can't even tell Sethe about it, he resorts to the first thing that comes out of his mouth which just happens to be he wants to impregnate her. Luckily, where most men would have fled after saying such a thing, Paul D decides that a baby is in fact the perfect solution. The power of the spell consumes him and he doesn't even think about how the baby will effect Sethe or himself, or the relationship between them, just that it will the answer to him being controlled by Beloved. But with his proposition Paul D is showing a willingness to fight for Sethe. He will in fact go to an extreme before he lets her go and so bringing a baby in to replace some of the affection for Beloved is him indeed fighting for himself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Crystal on the idea that Beloved's spell can definitely be seen throughout the book by her efforts to keep Sethe and Paul D apart from one another. Beloved always manages to be the center of attention no matter the situation going on. Due to the fact that this is always happening, Paul D begins to feel uneasy in the house. Paul D is aware that although Sethe is beginning to pay more attention to him, Beloved still comes first.
ReplyDeleteThe importance of the passage seems, to me, to reside in the fact that Paul D has no claim over Denver and Beloved, which Sethe claims as her own. The solution of her having his child may be a way for Paul D to lay a claim to that part of her life, and thus get some of the attention that he has no way to obtain. It seems a little selfish to me for Paul D to hope to fix all of his problems by sowing his oats, and ask Sethe to invest more love and hope into a child that will be reared in an world with not much of either. The situation shows the spell that Beloved casted on Paul D because he seems to use the pregnancy ploy as a scapegoat, and a resolution to all of the problems set forth by Beloved and his affair with her. If Sethe is carrying Paul D's child, then there's more of a possibility that she'll forgive him in the future, by his thinking.
ReplyDeletePaul D's quick answer to his momentary change in judgment could be foreshadowing a plan Beloved has in store. Beloved seems to be controlling his emotions (his strong emotions to avoid sleeping in certain areas of the house, which are controlled by Beloved), and his strong sense of having a baby with Sethe being a good option could be further manipulation on the part of Beloved. Could this be a way for Beloved to truly resurrect? Sethe asking Paul D to sleep inside shows she has power Paul D does not: the power to overcome Beloved's will. It says in the book on page 154, "The threads of malice creeping toward him from Beloved's side of the table were held harmless in the warmth of Sethe's smile." This shows Sethe may have a different relationship to Beloved's ghostly powers as the other characters.
ReplyDeleteAfter Sethe doesn’t let Paul D continue to sleep outside in the storeroom, we definitely see Sethe trying to understand what it would be like living in the house from Paul D’s perspective. It is likely, Sethe thinks, that Paul D “resented” Beloved and Denver and the relationship they shared with Sethe and how that would make him feel like an outsider. Along with that, Sethe starts to see how Paul D might feel like he is not upholding traditional notions of masculinity and fatherhood by being part of a family and he “not be[ing] the head of it”. At the same time, however, Sethe is thinking about Paul D’s hope to have child with her, but she believes that she cannot fulfill, his hope it would simply be too much to handle for her.
ReplyDeleteI think the important thing is to identify the spell itself, which, although vague, appears to give Beloved a level of control over Paul D's place in Sethe's life. As of now, I would identify Paul D's proposal as a reflection of the "spell's" success - he is becoming alienated and a baby with Sethe is essentially "grasping at straws." What's more, Beloved's arrival appears to have a negative effect on Paul D. That being said, I find it hard to comment on Sethe's overcoming of evil, as I interpret her to be a stronger character than Beloved. In a hiearchy of characters, I would place Beloved second to Paul D, as Beloved appears to cling to Sethe more forcefully than Sethe to Beloved. Consequently, I feel Sethe's invitation to Paul D to return to the house is an excercise of this power over Beloved, who can only prevail if Sethe allows it.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see your interpretations of the “spell” and the “evil power”. I really like Crystal’s interpretation and explanation about the relation between Paul D and Sethe. I also agree with Jerell when he says, “Paul D's proposal to Sethe to have his baby is the most rational way he can think of to break out of Beloved's "spell" over him.” This is definitely how I interpreted the text. The power of the spell is very strange in how it makes the characters in the story act. I think a lot of you had similar understandings of the spell. It is extremely interesting how the spell makes Paul D act. The quote that Will stated is also weird, “threads of malice creeping toward him from Beloved’s side of the table” (154). This is a supernatural feeling that the reader feels when reading and gives that much more power and energy to Beloved’s character.
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