"I like marriage. The idea"Often times, an idea and the execution of that idea are two separate entities. In Beloved, idea of freedom and living in freedom seems to be different to Sethe, Paul D, and the other slaves. Beloved's presence in Sethe's life, despite her freedom, is a constant source of slavery and subordination. Perhaps Morrison is trying to tell us that what we do in captivity determines our fate in freedom. Sethe murdered Beloved and Beloved subsequently haunted 124, and her ideas of freedom, openness, and room to breathe are compromised.
Sethe, while in captivity, chose to murder her baby girl. She believed that by murdering her, she would protect herself from the sadness of knowing her daughter w
as subjected to grotesque actions. She wanted to know her daughter died in peace. But, by protecting herself from this sadness, Sethe ultimately protected herself from happiness when she was freed. Taking control of another's destiny and not accepting one's own fate while facing danger or abject situations ensures that inner peace cannot be found. That true happiness in the face of freedom cannot be realized. The association of happiness with freedom is very prevalent. Inhibitions are associated with enslavement or internal alienation. So, when we are free, we must be happy, right? No. As Beloved has taught me, the actions we commit and who we shape ourselves to be while facing adversity, enslavement, or unjust subjugation from others, determine our happiness in our states of freedom. We cannot be happy unless we are peaceful inside. And when we are both free and internally peaceful, we are truly happy.
