Over the course of the book, we've all had time to develop our opinion on what Paul D's place is in the novel. He comes into play early on, and is a symbol of Sethe's past. He charms her and they rekindle their love, all while Denver is eyeing him menacingly from the sidelines. At first we thought this was just Denver's jealousy kicking in--she felt as though Paul D was replacing her in her mother's life. Upon Beloved's arrival, however, Paul D develops a dislike towards the reincarnation of Sethe's daughter. This cycle of jealousy and unrest makes for a very tense situation, and one could argue that this "family" dynamic is doomed to fail. Sure enough, Paul D abandons Sethe upon learning the truth about what happened that day in the woodshed, proving his general flakyness.
At first, I sympathized with Paul D. His reaction is justified, and I'm pretty sure that if any of us were in his shoes, we'd react the same way. However, I then had to consider where he stands in Sethe's life. As it was mentioned upon his arrival, he is a ladies man, and his presence can make even the toughest of women break down in front of him. This explains how intimate he and Sethe get when they see each other, but Paul D should understand that his comforter responsibilities don't stop at sex. When Sethe reveals the murder of her daughter from her perspective, she is hoping he will understand where she is coming from. At this point in their relationship, she isn't ashamed of her past when she is around him. However, Paul D is terrified and flees to the local church. It is at this point that I began questioning Paul D's character. It seems to me that, as much as he enjoys wooing all the women he encounters, he is not ready for the emotional consequences that come alongside the benefits. While his initial reaction is a given, I think it's about time that he return home and make things right with Sethe, or just leave the whole situation altogether.
Meanwhile, Stamp Paid is hitting himself over the head for revealing this to Paul D. He starts to think that he's meddling, and he just managed to ruin a relationship. While he did, I don't think it's entirely his fault. He didn't have any way of knowing that Paul D would react the way he did. Taking this into account, we can see that Paul D's presence in this town is affecting multiple characters in a negative way. Sethe, Denver, Paul D, and Beloved are all unnerved by his presence. While it is apparent that he doesn't mean any harm, I think his time has passed. Personally, I see Beloved's entrance into the novel a symbolism of a future and fresh start. Paul D, on the other hand, represents Sethe's past. While he tries to establish a promising future with her, it is clear that he is maybe pushing for the impossible.
To be honest, I didn't really like Paul D from the start. He seemed like a kind of slimy character that I was nervous reading about. Whenever he was around Denver or Beloved I felt like he was a bull in a china shop. I felt like he always had things he wanted to say, and most of the time he was restrained--which I think was a good thing if he was planning on having a life with Sethe. I felt like Paul went to Sethe's as a way of settling. Although Sethe and Paul seem decently happy, it kind of seems like the easy way out. Like Oh, we're both single and have a past together, let's be a couple. I also didn't like the way he handled the news of the woodshed scene. Although I think that what she told him was worse than he could have feared, he had the newspaper clipping, and he knows Sethe personally. Sethe tells him her darkest point in her life and Paul calls her a beast for doing what she thought was right. She didn't want her babies to have to go through slavery like she did, so she "put them where they couldn't touch them"
ReplyDeleteOn the surface, Paul D has a normal reaction in that he doesn't appreciate that Sethe murdered her own child. He kind of has a right to be repulsed in her choice of action. However, after thinking a little more, it seems like he should be there for Sethe and actually consider her side. She knew what slavery meant and could not stand the fact that her children would have to go through it. And while it seems like she made an insane move, as someone that is important in her life, it would have been nice if Paul D supported her.
ReplyDeleteNow I am having a final turn in thought. Sethe was not the only person to deal with slavery. Paul D of course also went through it, and I am realizing that he is just having a slightly different reaction that Sethe. It seems as if Paul D just wants to forget everything about the experience, just like Sethe, but his method is to act restrained, and this is where he differs from Sethe. When Sethe reveals the actions she went through in murdering her own child, she also revealed her emotions. I think that this is what Paul D truly despises, a reminder of the pain of his past.
I'm a huge Paul D fan from the start to the finish of this novel, and of course by now you know that he does come back around to Sethe--he just needs some time (understandable, I think) to wrap his head around the story she's told him. As far as him being a "ladies' man," I'm not sure this phrase can really apply to someone with his history and in his position. He is described as having a strong effect on women emotionally--and this has to do with his empathetic demeanor, their faith that they will be understood and sympathized with by him. It makes sense to me that Sethe's revelation will knock him back--it's a tough thing to imagine hearing from/about anyone you love. But he does love Sethe--the moments where he is trying to convince himself that "it's not her mouth" in the picture bring tears to my eyes, as he contemplates the line aside the mouth that he "loves so well." The artist's rendition of her eyes aren't *her* eyes; it's a measure of how well he knows, and loves, her face. And it's also touching somehow that he refuses to believe the story, desperately wishes for it to be some mistake, because he can't reconcile his picture of gentle Sethe with this saw-wielding madwoman.
ReplyDeleteThere's something judicious and even-handed about Paul's careful way of expressing himself--like when she's freaking out after he tells her about Halle (which, like Stamp Paid later, he too regrets at first), and he says, "I can't take it back, but I can leave it alone," to say that he doesn't want to dwell on it or torment her any further. I could go on and on. The story is complex, and these characters face a lot of trouble trying to put together some kind of normal life in these conditions. Paul has figuratively locked his heart away inside a tobacco tin, but once he arrives at 124, we see it slowly opening. Just like Sethe's. To our surprise, by the final pages this thing has turned into a bonafide love story.