Runaway child

"this nineteen-year-old slavegirl-- a year older than herself-- walking through the dark woods to get to her children who are far away. She is tired, scared maybe, and maybe even lost. Most of all she is by herself and inside her is another baby she has to think about too. Behind her dogs, perhaps guns probably; and certainly mossy teeth. She is not so afraid at night because she is the color of it, but in the day every sound is a shot or a tracker's quiet step."

In this passage it talks about the fear the ninteen-year old girl was going through and how scary it was for African Americans to runaway at the time. When African Americans ran away they would run towards the north because it was the easiest way to run to. They ran away from their plantations because they wanted to escape because they were tired and scared of the way they were being treated. At the time the slaves were beaten, raped, whipped, taken away from their children, and starved. When Sethe found she was pregnant she was afraid for herself and her babies, which explains her reason of wanted to kill her babies because by doing so she would’ve saved from an awful life. Sethe was afraid that once she had her baby she would be separated from them and they will end up becoming slaves.
In the time period Sethe was a slave she was raped by boys and had a school teacher watch. The boys the raped Sethe were the school teachers nephews. Sethe’s experience scared her life. Paul D. also let Sethe know that Halle watched everything happen from the loft of the barn. This shows that Halle didn't intervene because he knew he would punished for it, and the time punishment for slaves were very cruel. Some slaves that made it out were physically and mentally damaged from their experiences.

Slavery in the mid-1800’s were so crucial and violating to the slaves at the time that the slaves that made it out are still traumatized now. I think Toni Morrison shows that in Beloved because she tells different stories from different characters perspectives, and how their stories influence them in their lives now and how it affects the people around them and their children. Apart of this also portrays Toni Morrison's perspective on slavery and racism, and slavery and racism influenced her life while she was growing up.

Toni Morrison makes Sethe sound like a strong and brave woman, and by doing so it shows Toni Morrison's pride in black heritage. Sethe runs away when she is nineteen years old with a with woman helping her and taking care of the baby she has on the way. Showing how Sethe managed to run away even though she is afraid of being caught, it shows how she kept going and the faith that she had at that time.