Sethe, a brave mother in love, or is she selfish in her weakness? Toni Morrison’s, Beloved, is a complex narrative about the love between mothers and daughters, and the agony of guilt. “ It is the ultimate gesture of a loving mother. It is the outrageous claim of a slave.” These are the words, of Toni Morrison, used to describe the actions of Sethe, the central character in the novel. She, a former slave, chooses …showed first 75 words of 1521 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1521 total…her own guilt. When presented the notion that Sethe, not her children, is her own “best thing”, her reply takes form of a question, “Me? Me?”(273) Sethe has realized that she has loved her children too much, and herself not enough. Works cited Lewis, Mary. Understanding Mothers, a reflection in works, McGraw-Hill. New York, 1994. Malle, J.L. Toni Morrison’s Beloved and Jazz, Canbook Dist. Ontario, Canada, 1989. Morrison, Toni. Beloved, Penguin Group Pub. New York, 1987.