In this one page essay, I will discuss the syntax and diction of Paul D’s internal thoughts, compared with the foregoing monologues and poetry of the women, which can be found toward the end of Book Two. Paul D is described as a very tall, dark, handsome, man with a good heart. He is a slave at Sweet Home, which was anything but sweet. Paul D has endured a lot of trauma in his time there. He feels as if his manhood has been stripped away from him, due to the fact that he is pushed and bossed around by another man, more than likely very close in age. He feels that he has no true identity.
Paul D is trapped in this slave-like mentality, since that’s all he’s known for so long. He tries to suppress his horrific memories. Being forced to perform oral sex acts to the slave masters. Although, he has a little bit of freedom at Sweet Home, no one should be subject to being someone’s slave. He believes that if he keeps himself different from everyone else, he won’t fall in love or begin to care and won’t get hurt. It is very possible that Paul D has all of these insecurity issues because of his childhood. Paul D grew up barely knowing much about his parents. Once he’s at Sweet Home, he sort of bonds with Sixo and Halle, but he is envious of them. Halle and Sixo have women and a family. Paul D feels that he has no one and that he is all alone, yet he still refuses to open up to others.
Paul D feels extremely guilty because he can’t protect Sethe. He is constantly raped by the school teacher and his nephews. He feels less than a man because he can’t even protect the woman he loves from weak minded men. In Beloved, the women view Paul D as a man whom they can come to for anything. He is seen as somewhat of a healer. Women feel that they can open up to Paul D. He is very trustworthy. This is one of the reasons that Sethe was so taken by him. She falls for his sweet and caring personality. She sees past this strong wall that he has put up, not wanting to let anyone get close to his heart.
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It seems as if Toni Morrison wants to zone in on the traumatic aspects that happened during slavery times. This paper is an example of how the author describes the horrific and dehumanizing events that slaves went through. These extremely important points in history can never be forgotten. In Beloved, the slaves work in harsh living conditions, are violated, raped, abused, and treated like animals.
As I’ve attempted to demonstrate, Paul D’s internal thoughts and the syntax and diction used in book two, compared with the foregoing monologues and poetry of the women, have a big effect on the person that Paul D is and the person that he will become.
