Race and the American Novel Project: Beloved Contemporary Connections

Recently there were riots in Baltimore. These riots seemed to erupt from years of racial tension between white police officers and black civilians. While the focus of the news coverage was primarily on the destruction and the stealing, there were many peaceful protests going on that were overshadowed by the people who took advantage of the opportunity to display their frustrations. A video taken during one of these riots of a mother calling out her son who was participating in the riots, yelling at him, hitting him, and trying to rip off his mask became very popular among news stations, including CBS. People commended the mother for taking action and discipline her son before he could get himself into real trouble.

I believe there are significant connections between this news story and “Beloved”. Sethe and this woman would do anything to protect their children, even if they had to use violence against them. For Sethe, the consequences of leaving her children alive were horrible for her to imagine. She killed her baby to protect her. In the same way, this Baltimore mother knew that her son would face repercussions if he was arrested and she used all the physical force she had in order to get him out of the situation he was in. They both wanted the absolute best life for their children, even if the best life means no life at all. The actions of Sethe and this woman show how much a mother would do for her child.

There are differences between these women too. Sethe was dealing with slavery and the Baltimore mother was dealing with less blatant racism. Sethe’s child was just a baby and was being put into a situation by no choice of her own, while the boy rioting was doing so by his own free will. Another big difference is that the woman in Baltimore was punishing her son while Sethe was only protecting her daughter. Though there are differences in the situations, they still stem from similar histories and motherly instincts.

Article link:

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/04/28/angry-baltimore-mom-smacks-son/