“Paul D smiled then, remembering the bedding dress. Sethe was thirteen when she came to Sweet Home and already iron-eyed. She was a timely present for Mrs. Garner who had lost Baby Suggs to her husband's high principles. The five Sweet Home men looked at the new girl and decided to let her be. They were young and so sick with the absence of women they had taken to calves. Yet they let the iron-eyed girl be, so she could choose in spite of the fact that each one would have beaten the others to mush to have her. It took her a year to choose--a long, tough year of thrashing on pallets eaten up with dreams of her. A year of yearning, when rape seemed the solitary gift of life. The restraint they had exercised possible only because they were Sweet Home men--the ones Mr. Garner bragged about while other farmers shook their heads in warning at the phrase.”
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This passage speaks clearly on the idea that women were treated really poor during this time period. The author mentioned that men were taken to calves meaning that they had sex with cows due to the absence of women throughout that time. Women seemed to be inferior as this passage has spoken, but the five men from Sweet Home looked at Sethe differently as it said, "... they let the iron-eyed girl be, so she could choose in spite of the fact that each one would have beaten the others to mush to have her." The men didn't want to take Sethe to have sex with her because they felt bad for her if they did so. Looking through the feminist lens, it is clear and safe to say that men were considered superior and believed that they can do what they want because they viewed women to be inferior.
I believe that Sethe could be considered a very strong woman but she is basically beating herself up. She is a very strong and hardworking person but the reality is that she does not believe that she can actually do something to make a difference and aim for a change. This passage quotes that she decided that she will continue to live a life with "thrashing" so furthermore she would rather stick to the challenge and choose to be whipped and treated really poorly when she can truly overcome that. Sethe is trapped in a world where there is no way out, but in reality there is but she just seems to have the idea that she has no power over men stuck in her head. Women are and can be just as strong or even stronger than men.
I like how you connected the idea feminism and the historical context of inferiority, to the text. It clearly shows me the evolution of feminism, and it's application to the modern world.
ReplyDeleteI have a different interpretation of your first point. Although I think generally it is true that men saw themselves as superior to women during this time period, I think the fact that the men gave Sethe her space and did not make advances on her shows that they treated her with respect.
ReplyDeleteI like this post it's very interesting how you explain how you believe that Sethe could be a strong woman, but it would take a lot. I think if you went deeper into that it would be super interesting. Also, in the first paragraph you talk about how men think that they are superior to women. Do you think that race also plays into this, or is it just all men?
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