When we examine the pivotal moment of Beloved we can notice that it is similar in a lot of ways to the critical
moment in Native Son. Both characters
are placed into a position where they have to make an impossible choice. Bigger
either had to choose being accused of rape which would most likely result in
death, or killing Mary and having some hope to move on. Similarly, Sethe had to
choose between being captured by Schoolteacher and going back to Sweet home, or
kill her children.
Both characters picked the choice with most ambiguity. Bigger
knew the consequences of being caught, and so rather than accepting that we
would be caught he chose what, in his mind, was the better option. He acted
completely out of instinct and self-preservation and so we cannot blame him for
doing so.
Sethe was placed into a very similar position when the four
horsemen showed up. As soon as she saw them she acted instinctively and made a
choice. Her only other option was to let Schoolteacher take her children to
Sweet Home and live a life of slavery. Sethe knew that his option was a
terrible one and so she chose what, in her mind, was the better alternative.
Which was to kill her own children. In my opinion we are not allowed to judge
whether this action was justified or not, and frankly it doesn’t matter if we
do. The point of both of these passages is to show that these characters are
placed in impossible situations and are forced to make a choice. It is to protest
against slavery and oppression, but more specifically to demonstrate the
absolute horror of slavery.
Another demonstration of this horror is the portrayal of the
characters in the eyes of white characters. In Beloved, we get insight into the thoughts of the four white
horsemen and the way in which they see Sethe. When they discover that she has
killed one of her own children their immediate reaction is to view her as an
animal. Not only do they see her as property, but they literally hunt her down.
Just like hunters hunting down prey, they view her as something similar to a
beast.
This dynamic is also present in Native Son, where we see Bigger being hunted down by the police for
the murder of Mary. We see Bigger running away from the police on the rooftops
until he is finally caught by the “hunters” and thrown in prison. Both novels
are protest novels attempting to demonstrate the horrors and portrayals of
slavery and discrimination.
