Men or Women? Who is on top?

Beloved overall, has been one of the hardest books for me to read. Not because of the complexity of the scene tenses or the lengths of the chapters but simply because of the content. I personally and unable to relate to the book on a deeper level because I cannot relate to being a slave or having no freedoms. This makes understanding the book very difficult. However, by analyzing the book through the feminist lens I have been able to find small parts of the book that I am able to relate to.

The most significant part of the book that I am able to relate to is the idea that men are seen as being far superior than women. This is a concept that I would have hoped to be gone from society today, but unfortunately it is still present. This issue is one that I can relate to because all around me I see men getting better treatment than women. This can easily be seen in how there is still a wage gape in the united states. This can also be easily seen in how we still have never had a female president in office. This theme is also significantly prominent in Beloved. In beloved we can easily see how male are perceived as dominant, when Paul D. becomes saddened because he believed he would be able to make 124 “safe”, when in reality he was unable to do so (193). This shows how Paul D. though because he was a male figure and therefore "more powerful" than Sethe he would be able to fix all the problems.

One other concept that is easily seen throughout the book through the feminist lens is the idea that women are seen as the “bread maker” of the household. This is seen concretely in how Sethe is the only person either obtaining or making the food that is served in 124. While Paul D. is at the house, he never pitches in to help make a meal. This can be seen in the stereotypes of women and how they are supposed to be “housewives” and make the meals for when their husbands come home from work and they are the sole caregivers for the children. This is not as common in today’s society however it is still seen constantly in the society around us.

While the book Beloved was difficult to comprehend at times, I think reading definitely helped me to understand more about both slavery and the pressure that was placed on the women in society.