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What are some examples of feminism in Beloved?

Accepted Answer

The prime and most important example of feminism in Beloved by Toni Morrison is the choice that Sethe, the protagonist, makes early in her life, years before the book's opening. She lived as a slave at Sweet Home, a plantation, and decides to escape. Sethe had sent her three children, two boys and a girl, ahead to Cincinatti to be taken care of by her mother-in-law, Baby Suggs. Eventually, Sethe escapes and makes it to Cincinatti. Soon after, some of the people from the plantation arrive in Cincinatti to take Sethe and her children back to the plantation. Instead of allowing that to happen, Sethe attempts to murder all of her children. She only succeeds in killing her daughter, who is later named "Beloved."
To some, this act of murder is an act of compassion. In Sethe's eyes, she was keeping her daughter from the miserable life of slavery that she had to endure growing up. This is an example of feminism because Sethe made a choice about whether to let her child live, and she chose not to. Many feminists believe that the woman should have the choice about what to do for the best of her and her children.
Another example of feminism is the fact that the women in the novel are the central characters. Sethe is an independent woman who is able to choose which men she wants to be with. She takes Paul D as her lover but does not marry him; a very feminist idea. Denver, Sethe's living daughter, is another central character who is fighting her own battles. The fact that these women, along with their issues and struggles, take center stage in this novel make it a very feminist one indeed.
To some, feminism suggests an anti-male mentality. This novel, however, is not anti-male. The men and women in the novel work together to deal with their struggles and Morrison does not suggest that men are evil or to be mistrusted. Rather, it is the inhumanity of slavery and the horrors that were endured that are the true evil.

Answer

Traditional feminism is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as "the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes". This means that women should be equal to men in economic, political, and social status. Another type of feminism, as seen in literature, occurs when traditional gender roles are reversed.
The novel Beloved by Toni Morrison has many examples of feminism. One example of feminism is the simple fact that many of the main characters are women. Sethe, the main character, lived as a slave and escaped from her plantation. By believing in her own abilities, valuing her life as a human being rather than just as a slave, and choosing to escape, Sethe is being a feminist. All of the women in the novel, despite their struggles, work together to make the best life possible.
The fact that Sethe decides which men she will join in relationships is another example of feminism in the novel Beloved. Sethe chooses not to marry, an idea that was not common in the 1800s when the novel takes place.

Answer

This book can be considered feminist for several reasons, one of which is that the female characters are often proactive, rather than simply reactive, and they do not seek male approval or even, at times, male support. They are self-reliant and self-sufficient. Sethe escapes slavery while heavily pregnant and completely alone. Her independence and fiery determination to do the best she can for herself and her children presents a feminist view of women as capable and equal to any task that men can accomplish.
Denver's eventual self-sufficiency and self-reliance also present a feminist view of women. The women in her community take care of one another (for the most part). They discuss topics that have nothing to do with men or their relationships with men, they make important decisions and see those decisions through, and their fortitude is evidence of their inherent value and worth.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

What are some examples of feminism in Beloved?

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