Freedom and slavery at 124 Bluestone Road
Full text
Re is a
de
Es udios No eame icanos,
nº
3 (1994),
pp
. 35 -44 .
. FREEDOM AND
SLAVERY
AT
124
BLUESTONE
ROAD
PILAR
CuoER
DoM NGUEZ
Uni e sidad de Huel a
The e is no denying he p o agonism
o
Se he
's
house, 124 Blues one Road,
in
Toni Mo ison
's
Belo ed (1987). Fi s ly, each
o
be h ee sec ions
o
he no el opens
wi h a e e ence o 124, hus eco ding he e olu ion
o
he d ama
o
i s inhabi an s:
a
he beginning
i '
s spi e ul and ull
o
enom (3), hen loud ( 169) and e en ually quie
(239). Secondly, and since he building is he si e
o
ESP
phenomena, i exhibi s
human ai s and modes
o
beha iou
i
could
no
possibly ha
e
o he wise: i commi s
insul s agains i s owne s,
i
shakes,
i
looks back
a
hem, e c.
Belo
ed
is, howe e , much mo e han he s o y
o
a haun ed house. As a neo-
sla e na a i e,
i
explo es om he pe spec i e
o
he la e 1980s he issues o eedom
.and sla e y as hey a ec he li es
o
a g oup
o
A ican-Ame icans in he di icul
pos -ci il wa yea s. Bo h ales need no
be
sepa a e;
in
ac , Mo ison in e wea es
hem o such an ex en ha he house o eg ounds p ecisely hose issues, oge he wi h
ela ed concep s
o
iden i y and sel -a i ma ion.
Ch onologically, 124 i s belonged
o
he Bodwins, a whi e amily who would
la e mo e in o own and en i ou o Baby Suggs, Se he
's
mo he -in-law. Edwa d
Bodwin
's
ecollec ions
o
his childhood as he app oaches 124 a he end
o
he no el
dwell on i s connec ion o dea h, and pa icula ly, women's dea h: all he Bodwin
women had died he e (259). He also emembe s how
he
had u sed o bu y a ound he
hou
se
hose p ecious hings he wan ed o p o ec , p esumably om his a he 's
au ho i y and powe . Bo h memo ies, hough bela ed, ac ually p e igu e Se he
's
a emp o mu de he child en, he · own p ecious possessions, in o de o sa e hem
om sla e y ( ha is, o p o ec hem om he whi e men
's a emp o seize hem in he
episode known as " he Mise y").
As Baby Suggs mo es in o he house, i comes o s and o he newly-acqui ed
eedom, and he changes she in oduces, like boa ding
up
he back doo and cooking
inside ins ead
o
ou side p ojec he ejec ion
o
he p e ious mode
o
li e as a sla e
36
Pila Cude Domínguez
(207). 124 also becomes he embodimen
o
he gene osi y
and
openness, he
epu ed
"big hea ;" as such, he house is umed in o a so
o
communi y shel e , a
sa e
ha bou , a place o com o , bo h physical and psychological (87-8). Du ing
his
pe iod hen, he house is he embodimen
o
Baby Suggs' sel , he inne sel she
did
no e en know she had while s ill a sla e a Swee Home:
Swee Home was a ma ked imp o emen . No ques ion. And no ma e ,
o
he sadness
was
a he cen e , he desola ed cen e whe e he sel ha was no
sel
made i s home. Sad as i was ha she did no know whe e .he child en we e
bu ied
o
wha hey looked like
i
ali e, ac was she knew mo e abou hem han she
knew
abou he sel , ha ing ne e had he map
o
disco e wha she was like. (140)
The
symbolism
o
124 is s eng hened h ough con as wi h Swee Home.
The
name
i sel
is in ensely i onic o , as Paul D says e y ea ly
in
he no el,
"I
wasn
'
swee and i su e wasn' a home" (14). Fo Baby Suggs, i
was
asad
place,
jus
like
he sad cen e . Fo Se he, Swee Home mean dep i a ion, since he being sold o
he
Game s b oke he Ias link she had
o
he pas . E en hough du ing he childhood
in
ano he plan a ion she had no been allowed a con en ional ela ionship wi h
he
mo he , she had e ained a sense
o
amily and his o y h ough a mo he -Iike igu e,
Nan.
Nan
had p ese ed o he so ne semblance
o
oo s, especially h ough s o y-
elling and he na i e A ican Ianguage. When Se he was
sold
in o Swee Home,
she
did no only lose ha Ias link o he pas , bu also ali emale companionship:
M s.
Game , he only woman a ound, was he sla eholde
and
ba en (Samuels
and
Hudson-Weems 113).
Swee Home, as a ma e
o
ac , s ands o sla e y, e en
i
o
a mild so because
he e is no b u al ea men
o he
sla es and hey a e encou aged
o
hink o hemsel es
as men and women (i.e. as ee). Unde M . Game , Swee Home is a so
o
edenic
wo ld whe e gene ally accep ed ules o he beha iou
o
mas e s and sla es bea
no
e ec . Ou side, howe e , ali hell b eaks loase
:"
...
hey we e only Swee Home
men
a
Swee Home.
(_)ne
s ep
o
ha g ound and hey we e
espasse s among he human
ace"
(125). Thei special s a us in Swee Home is, he e o e, a pa ody
o
eedom,
because hey a e ee only as long as hei mo emen s a e es ic ed, and es ic ion
o
mo emen is a de ining ai
o
sla e y.
A mild ea men
o
sla es, hen, does no al e he basic assump ion
o
sla e y:
ha hese black people do no belong o hemsel es, bu o someone else. When Se he
claims ha no ali sla eholde s a e he same, ha so ne, like
M
. Ga ne ,
do
no insul
o
in
any way abuse hem, Halle poin s ou ha
"I
don
'
ma e , Se he. Wha hey
sa
y
is he same. Loud
o
so " ( 195). The essen ial con adic ion in he concep
o
a mild
o
humane sla e y is u he exposed a e he dea h
o
M . Ga ne , who had ac ed
as
a demi-god in his edenic wo ld, wi h he a i al
o
school eache who, ac ing as a
so
o
de il, will b ing he ou side ules in o Swee Home. The
Io
ss
o
pa adise will be
F eedom
and
Sla e y
a
124 Blues one
Road
37
agic, bo h o Se he and o
he
men, and e en mo e
so
because, in spi e
o
ha ing
been o ewa ned h ough he ales
o Baby
Suggs and
Halle
's
o me expe iences, hey
we e
no
p epa ed o accep he ull implica ions
o
hei
sla e y;
in
ac , hey
had
dismissed hose s o ies as
"bad
luck" (221).
I
124 is o Baby
Sugg
s he symbol
o he eedo n
and newly-disco e ed se ,
hen he whi emen
's
espass du ing lhe episode
o
he Mise y makes
he
ealise ha
no
e en he e is he e any sa e y o n he in usion
o
he
whi es
and
he pain and
su e ing hey always b ing along. Bo h
in
S amp
Paid's
and Den e
's
ecollec ions,
Baby
Suggs keeps saying "They ca ne
in
my ya d" (179
and
209). Al hough con eyed
in e ms
o
space ela ed
o
he
house, his is a espass
in o
Baby
Suggs'
e y sel , and
as such
i
signals
he
psychological b eakdown and
he
e i emenl om li e, as she
comes
o
unde s and ha , hough
now
ee, she emains e y much a sla e.
Al hough o Se he, as o Baby
Sugg
s, 124 s ands o eedom
and
again as
opposi e
o
Swee
Home,
Se he's
de ini ion
o
eedom
is
based
on
possession, a
concep
ha
is
cen al o ali
he
ac ions
in
he no el:
This house
he
old he o lea e as hough a house was a li le lhing
-a
shi wais
o a
sewing baske you could walk
o
o
gi e
away any old ime. She
who
had
ne e had
one
bu
his one; she who had
o
b ing a is ul
o
salsi y in o
M s
. Ga ne 's ki chen e e y day
jus
o
be
able o
wo k
in
i
, eel like so ne pa
o
i
was
he s, because
she
wan ed o !o e he wo k she did, o ake
h
e ugly ou
o
i , and he only way
she
could eel a home on
Swee
Home
was
i
she picked
so ne
p
e y g owing hing and
ook
i
wi h he . (22)
The e is a u he di e ence. Baby Suggs
had
hough
o
he hou
se
as he
possibilily
o
a new li e, a u u e: h
e
i s decision is
o
y o e-uni e he amily by
.1 inging
he
missing child en o 124. When his p o es o be
an
impo
ss
ible ask, she
ne e hel
ess
se
les o second
be
s , he only amily she
now
has,
Halle's.
Whe eas
Baby Suggs has
pl
en y
o
ime o
es
ablish ha connec ion, Selhe does no ; she ba ely
has a mon h
o
eedom be o e school
eac
he and he
o he
whi e men
come
a e he .
A
e
he Mise y, she s ops hinking
o he
u u e; we a e old mo e han once ha
"To
Se he, he u u e
wa
s a ma
e
o keeping
he pas a bay" (42).
The
same wo ds would
apply o h
e
ela ionship o he house, whose ghos ly o ces she has o keep
a
bay day
in day ou .
As he house ep esen s he pas o Se he, i is no su p ising ha
she
should be
li e ally su ounded by
ima
ges om ha pas . Paul D
mana
ges o make a place o
himsel in he house (no ice again he e e ence o space) because, as a o me sla e
a
Swee Home, he also belongs he e:
When she woke he house c owded in on he : he e was he
doo
whe e
he
so
da
c acke s we e lined
up
in a ow; he whi e s ai s he baby gi l lo ed o
38 Pila Cude Domín
guez
climb; he co
me
whe e Baby Suggs mended shoes, a pile
o
which we e s ill
in
he cold oom; he exac place on he s o e whe e Den e bumed he inge
s.
And
o
cou se he spi e
o
he house i sel . The e was no oom o any
o he hing
o body un il Paul D a i ed and b oke up he place, making oom, shi ing
i ,
mo ing
i
o e o someplace else, hen s anding in he place he had made.
(39)
The
house does no ep esen he pas because
o
he ghos ; a he he
opposi e.
The ghos ly p esence is a cons an eminde ha Se he has
no
ye come o e ms
wi h
ha
pa
s . She ne e managed o o e come he g ie o e he las
o
ali he losses
she
had su e ed, he
lo
ss
o he
belo ed daugh e . Se he ac ually s opped li ing wh
en
he
daugh e did; om hen on she
jus
wen h ough he mo ions
o
e e yday
li e
mechanically, p e ending she was indeed ali e.
To Paul D, who has spen
18
yea s wande ing all o e he coun y,
124
ep esen s a shel e ,
jus
wha i was o many wande ing black people du ing Ba
by
Suggs' golden age. He has ound o he such shel e s; he wea e lady's house
in
Delawa e, whe e he managed o s ay o 3 ull mon hs, is men ioned occasionally.
Bu
hese places we e no mo e han s opo e s
in
bis con inuous wande ings; his ime
he
seems o ha e some hing a he mo e pe manen in mind: "
...
when I go he e and s
a
ou he e on he po ch, wai ing o you, well, I knew
i
wasn' he place I was heading
owa d; i was you.
We
can make
ali e
, gi l.
Ali e"
(46).
In
ha li e he now
wan s
o make wi h Se he, he c ea ion
o
a amily plays he mos impo an ole, since
i
is
some hing ha , as a sla e, he had ne e had any claim o and c a ed o .
Paul
D's
compulsion
o
keep walking, o ne e s op
o
long a one place, is
caused by a composi e
o
eelings. Fi s and o emos
,
he de ines eedom as
he
capabili y
o
going anywhe e he wan s
o
a any gi en ime, and ha has been so
e e
since
he
ound ou a Swee Home, ha Mís e , he oos e , had mo e eedom han
he
did: "Mis e was allowed o
be
and s ay wha he was. Bu 1 wasn ' allowed
o
be
and
s ay wha I was" (72).
Howe e , e en mo e han p o ing ha he is ee, his endless wande ing is
an
escape:
"I
a Neg o go legs
he
ough
o
use bem. Si down oo long, somebody
will
igu e ou a way o ie hem up" (10). This is a pbysical escape, as he ies o a oid
he
sphe e
o
in luence and powe
o
he whi e men o e his li e, bu
i
is also a
psychological ligh om his memo ies
o
sla e y, especially
o
ho
se
inal days
a
Swee Home, when he los ali bis "b o he s," he only amily he e e knew, and
o
his
o deal in Al ed, Geo gia.
Paul D
's
a emp o make a new li e, a ee one, a 124 Blues one Road,
is
howe e cu sho e y soon wi h he a i al
o
Belo ed.
In
hi
s i s encoun e wi
h
he ghos ly p esence in he house he had won, bu he de ea ed enemy has only e u ned
wi h enewed s eng h. The house becomes he ba le ield whe e he dispu e
o e
Se he will ha e o be se led. Because Paul D
's
concep s
o
eedom and sla e y
a e
based on he no ion
o
con ol o e
one's
own mo emen s, he s uggle be ween his
F eedom
and
Sla e y al 124 Blues one Road 39
will o s ay and Belo ed
's
will o h ow him ou will
be
enac ed in e ms
o
e i o y.
Thus,
he
i s mo es downs ai s and hen ou side he house.
Jus a
s he whi emen's in usion in he home made Baby Suggs unde s a
nd
h
a
she was no al oge he ee, Paul D
's
ealiza ion h
a heis
being h own
ou o he
place
whe e
he
does wan
o
s ay signals ha he is s ill a sla
e
o someo
ne
el
se's
wishes,
hough in his case a black woman's, Belo ed. As in he case o Baby Suggs, his is
he s a ing poin
o
his b eakdown, ep esen ed by he opening
o
he us y obacco
in he
ha
s la ely had o a hea (117).
Belo ed
's
ic o y o e Paul D (i.e. ha
o
a wo
man
o e a
man) is shown as
being achie ed, and especially main ained, h eugh sex. This is so o such
an
ex en
ha i has been poin ed ou ha Belo ed beha es as
" he
adi ional succubus, he
emale spi i who d ains he male
's
li e o ce e en
as
s
he
d ains him
o
hi
s spe
m
"
(Ha is 157). The s uggle wi h Belo ed is so ma kedly sexual because Paul D
concei es eedom and manhood as insepa able no ions,
h
e eason lying again in his
Swee Home pas
.
In
M . Game 's de ini ion
o hi
s sla es as "men" he e was al eady
a s ong sexual componen :
"
Y'all
go boys," he old hem. "Young boys, old boys, picky boys, s eppin
boys. N
ow
a Swee Home, my nigge s is men e e y one
o
em
. Bough em
ha away, aised em ha away. Men e e y one."
"Beg o di e , Game . Ain
'
no nigge men
."
"No
i
you sca ed, hey ain '
.
" Ga ne ' s smile was wide. "Bu
i
you a man
you sel , you'll wan you nigge s o
be
men oo."
"I wouldn' ha e no nigge men ound
my
wi e." .
I
was he eac ion Game lo ed and wai ed o . "Nei he would I," he said.
"Nei he would I, " and he e was always a pause be o e he neighbo ,
o
s ange ,
o
peddle , o b o he -in-law
o
whoe e i was
go
h
e meaning.
(10-11)
Game implied ha hese we e oen because hey we e sexually ac i e and
po en ially agg e
ss
i e. Fu he e idence is p e ided by he
a
c ha he allowed hem
he u
se
o
i les (a phallic symbol; c . Samuels and Hudson-Weems 124). Sixo p e ed
his manhood by walking
30
miles o mee bis lo e : he e again sex and eedom
o
mo emen ,
i
somewha es ic ed, come oge he .
I
may e en be in e p e ed ha Paul
D
's
a i al a Se he
's
house a e so man y yea s .is igge ed by an a emp o p e e ( o
he
as o himsel ) his newly disco e
ed
manhood/ eedom:
A
h
e poin
o
inding Se he, Paul D
's
in en ions appea , o a la ge deg ee,
o be pu ely sexual. She eels ha he mee ing p e ides an oppo uni y o him
o display his manhood in a manne
he ~ o
o
e
unwi nessed by
Se
h
e. Fo no
o
nl
y had she been made an objec
o
sexual desi e o him and he o he Swee
40
Pila Cude Domínguez
Home men . . . bu she had also chosen someone else and wi nessed
his
de e io a ion as well unde
sc
hool eache
's
b u al managemen . (Samuels
and
Hudson-Weems 123)
In his con ex , Paul
D's
a ai wi h Belo ed is he con i ma ion
o
bis
being
bo h a sla e and
no a
man. A e all, he is being o ced o ha e sex wi h
someone
he
is
no
in he leas a ac ed o, e en posi i ely ha es, which was so o en a
sla e's
lo ( hough usually a sla ewoman's). Paul D
's
inal a emp o id
himsel
b
Belo
ed's
powe
is
hwa ed when he canno ell Se he wha is happening (again,
cha ac e is ic
o
a sla e, o whom hose expe iences a e unspeakable). Howe e ,
he does
so
me hing e en he conside s unexpec ed:
he
asks Se he o ha e his
child.
Al hough a i s sigh hese a e wo un ela ed issues, bey a e no . Ha ing a
child
is o Paul D a way o e-es ablish his manbood and hus o eco e his eedom,
jus
as Sixo had anscended sla e y and e en dea h in his c y "
Se en-0
" (i.e. in he
ac
ha he was going o ha e a child).
Belo ed's ic o y is comple e when Paul D lea es be house and i s g ounds
al oge he . Al hough he eason o his lea ing seems
o
be his inding ou abou
he
Mise y h ough S amp Paid, i should be aken in o accoun ha h oughou
his
con e sa ion wi h Se he
he
eels
he
is being obse ed by Belo ed h ough he ceiling.
Mo eo e , his appea s o be a p e ex o hide his eelings ha , in ha ing
become
Belo ed
's
puppe ,
he
is no enough
o
a man o he : "How as he had mo ed om
his shame o he s. F om bis cold-house sec e o he oo- hick !o e" (165). In ac ,
he
house has come o ep esen sla e y o Paul
D,
andas
such, he canno endu e o s ay.
Consequen ly, his e um o 124 a he end
o
he no el is a e um o his ull s a
us
bo h as a ee human being and as a man.
As
a ma e
o
ac , i is an ac
o
se
l -
a i ma ion, as he e aces he e y same s eps
he
had aken in lea ing: "His coming
is
he e e se ou e
o
his going" (263). The p ocess
is
comple e when
he
walks
back
in o he house and pu s his image i mly in place in Se be's bed, again linking
he
no ions
o
eedom
o
mo emen / e i o y and sex/manhood.
Den e
co~ncides
wi h Paul D in ha he house is o
he
a symbol
o
sla e y.
Conside ing she
is
a i s -gene a ion ee bla
ck
child, his may appea con adic o y;
bu Den e
's
sla e y is psychological, no li e al. Li ing in comple e i
so
la ion om
he wo ld, she
ha
s no ye de eloped he own
se
l ; in ha sense, she is as much a sla e
as was Baby Suggs a Swee Home. Because she is a child, she s ill depends e y much
on he mo he , a mo he she, howe e
,
has g own o ea . Tha is why she akes e uge
in he boxwood oom, which
is
in ac a symbolic womb in o which she c awls back,
and whe e she is naked, nu u ed and p o ec ed om he ou side wo ld:
In hese woods, be ween he ield and he s eam, hidden by pos oaks, i e
box wood bus hes, plan ed in a ing, had s a ed s e ching owa d each o he ou
ee
o
he g ound o o o a ound, emp y oom se en ee high, i s walls i y
F eedom
and
Sla e y a 124 Blues one Road
41
inches
o
mu mu ing lea es.
Ben low, Den
e
could c awl in o his oom, and once he e she could
s and ali
h
e way up in eme ald ligh
...
In
ha bowe , closed
o
om he hu
o
he hu wo ld, Den e 's imagina ion p oduced i s own hunge and i s own
ood, which she badly needed because loneline
ss
wo e
he ou . Wo e
he
ou .
Veiled and p o ec ed by he li e g een wa
ll
s, she el ipe and clea , and sal a ion
was as easy
as
a wish. (28-9)
Thi
s is also he eason why she p e e s he s o ies
abou
he mo he ' s escape, no
hose abou Swee Home, when she
didn'
exis
a
ali,
and
be o e he Mise y, when he
mo he was s ill a nu u
i
ng and p o ec ing
p
esence, and
had
no ye umed in o a wi ch
who could come and kill he while asleep. These s o ies also make up o mos
o
Den
e '
s know ledge abou he ou side wo ld, bu hey
mus
be e i ying o he child,
since in hem 124 ea u es as he only sa e ha en om he unspeakable dange s ou
he e. Den e
's
ea s hen, e en hough a ached o
he
mo he
's
po en ial and
un o eseeable iolence, a e as
mucha
ea
o
in usion
as
i was o he o he women
(has ac ually been ansmi ed by hem), he esul being ha 124
is
Den e
's
p ison:
Wha e e i is, i comes om ou side his house, ou side he ya d, and i
can come igh on in he ya d
i
i wan s oo. So I ne e lea e his house and 1
wa ch o e he ya d, so i
can'
happen again and
my
mo he
won'
ha e
o
kili
me. (205)
Because she has
no
ye de eloped he own ind
epe
nden sel , and since he
mo he is in so ne way he enemy, escue is only possible
in
Den
e 's
an asies abou
he missing a he , whe e he ea u es as he knigh sa ing he beau i ul maiden held
, :ap i e in he owe ; a an asy which e eals bo h he loneliness and he imp isonmen .
As i is, he e will be no escue, and she will be o ced o become h
e
own sa iou ;
o ced by hunge , she will ha e o con on he ea s and s ep ou side
h
e amilia
g ounds:
In
he b igh es
o
he ca ni al d esses and wea ing a s ange ' s shoes, she
s ood on he po ch
o
124 eady o be swallowed up in he wo ld beyond he edge
o
he po ch. Ou he e whe e small hings sc a ched and some imes ouched.
Whe e wo ds could be spoken ha would close you ea s shu . Whe e,
i
you
we e alone, eeling could o e ake you and s ick o you as a shadow. Ou he e
whe e he e we e places
in
which hings so bad
had
happened ha when you
wen nea hem i would happen again. Like Swee Home whe e ime didn
' pass
and whe e, like he mo he said, he bad was wai ing o h
e
as well. (243-44)
As she inds he way h ough he own, and la e es ablishes a ela ionship wi h
he neighbou s, Den e is ac ually d awing he map bo h
o
he wo ld and
o
he own
42 Pila Cude
Domínguez
sel
.
He
p og ession is he opposi e o ha
o
he women in he p eceding gene a ions:
whe eas Baby Suggs and Se he ound hei ee sel es
as
hey a i ed a 124,
Den e
disco e s and de elops
he
sel only when she lea es. A he
same
ime, she
comple es
he p og ession
o
he amily om sla e y o eedom, by becoming a ee being
eely
in e ac ing wi h o he s and inse ing he se
l
as membe
o
a
co
mmuni y (which
he
Mise y
had
p e en ed Baby Suggs and Se he om doing).
I
is Den e who, he e o e, manages o sol e and pu
an
end o Se he
's
s uggle
agains he
pa
s unde he shape
o
Belo ed, a s uggle ha , as men ioned abo e,
is
cen ed
on
he house and whose p og ess is ma ked by he e e ences
o
124
which
open each sec ion. The p og ession is also illus a ed
by
he passing
o
he seasons
and
i s e ec
on
he house. Thus, he na a i e s a s in he summe , bu by he end
o
he
i s sec ion snow has s a ed piling a ound he house, highe and deepe (135).
The
g owing i
so
la ion
o
he house illus a es ha he s uggle is ac ually aking
place
inside Se he,
in
he inne sel .
In
he second sec ion, he house has been comple ely
cu
o by he snow, and he con lic will be sol ed in
h
e inal sec ion wi h he
e um
o
sp ing and he hea dissol ing he snow.
Con ac wi h he ou side wo ld is no only p e en ed by he wea he , bu
also
olun a ily b oken by he cha ac e s hemsel es: he i s sec ion clases wi h
Paul
D
lea ing 124; la e S amp Paid gi es up ying o go in o he house, which is
by
hen
su ounded by a ing
o
s ange oices; Se he locks he doo and decides o o ge
he
wo ld ou side ( 199). Again, he solu ion
o
he con lic coincides wi h he e um
o
he
ou side wo ld, when Den e e-es ablishes con ac .
Ne e heless, because his is Se he
's
inne s uggle wi h he pas ,
ano he
condi ion has o
be
me : he auma izing e en s will be e-enac ed in he inal
pa
ges
o
he no el and
so
mehow co ec ed. The e is a close pa allelism be ween
he
cha ac e s and ea u es
o
he Mise y and his scene (257- ). Se he is his ime
a med
wi h an ice-pick ins ead
o
a saw; he child en a e p esen , al hough educed
o
he
wo
daugh e s; he black communi y is ep esen ed by he g o
up
o
women, and a
whi e
man (e en
i
ha mle
ss
and bene olen ) is app oaching he house a e many yea s.
The a mosphe e immedia ely p eceding he Mise y had been illed wi h o eboding.
The inhabi an s
o
h
e house had been wea y a e a me y banque
ce
leb a ing Se he
's
sa e y; Baby Suggs had been awoken by he scen
o
disapp o al, and hen wo ied
by
he no ion
h
a s
om
e hing da k was coming -i onically, since his "da k" hing was
no
o he han he "whi e" men. This im
e,
hei wea iness is caused
by
qua els and hunge ,
and Den e
wa
kes up c ying om a d
ea
m, which lea es he eeling sad and opp essed.
In
bo h cases, hey Iook one way while he in usion comes ano he . Baby Suggs and
S amp Paid kep looking
o
wa ds he i e , bu
h
e whi e men ca
n
e along he oad;
Den
e
now looks o he igh , and he women app oach om
h
e le .
Se he eac s e y much as she had done 18 yea s ea lie : she eels ha he whi e
man "is coming in o he ya d and he is coming o my bes hin
g"
(262). I onically,
Se he is a he same ime igh and o ally misguided:
h
e whi e man is indeed coming
F eedom
and
Sla e y a 124 Blues one Road 43
o he daugh e bu i is Den e , no Belo ed. Mo eo e , Den
e
p o es o be
"he
bes hing" because she is he one o sa e he mo he om comple e disas e . The e
is, ne e heless, an all-impo an di e ence: Se he
now
e-di ec s
he
ea and age
agains he whi e man, whe eas in he episode o he Mise y she had umed hem
agains he child en.
The o he cha ac e s also somehow imp o e
on
hei ea lie beha iou . The
communi y had been s ikingly silen du ing he Mise y: no one had wamed hose
a
124
o
. he a i al
o
he whi e men, and no one
o
hem had made a sound o
accompany
Se he's
pain and dis ess when she was being aken
o
p ison (152). The
women now p ay, holle , and make sounds, in wha
has
been iden i ied as a mix u e
o
pagan and eligious i uals (Ha is 163) and a ce emony eminiscen
o
Baby
Suggs's a he clea ing (Samuels and Hudson-Weems 120). Wha is mo e ema kable,
howe e , is ha hei epea ed "yes, yes, yes" di ec ly and explici ly coun e ac s
Se he's
"no, no, no." Den e , in um, co ec s Baby
Suggs'
passi
i
y ( o she could
no
o
would no
do
any hing
o
s op Se he)
as
she now disa ms he mo he be o e she
kiUs M . Bodwin.
This e-enac men
o
he Mise y wo ks as an exo cism, and he esul is h¡¡
Belo ed anishes in o hin ai (o a he , in o wa e , as he Jas image is seen in he
s
eam,
as
"a
naked woman wi h ish o hai ," 267).
Wha
exac ly causes he
o
lea e
is ne e heless unclea . Se e al heo ies ha e been de ised
o
explain his episode,
a iously accoun ing o Belo ed as a ghos
o
a unaway sla e. In he la e case,
i
would
be
he sudden appea ance
o
a whi e man and he ea i p oduces
in
he ha
igge s he depa u e and pe haps e en he ac ual d owning in he s eam. In he
o me , i
can
be
a gued ha i is he p essu e
o
he communi y, who now ake sides
·in he s uggle while p e iously hey had been me e on-looke s (Samuels and Hudson-
Weems 120).
I
migh also be ha Belo ed has now unde s ood wha Se he had been
ying, unsuccess ully, o explain wi h wo ds: ha he ac ions had been caused by lo e
and he impulse o p o ec he child en om he pains
o
sla e y (Ha is 163 ). Finally,
i is Jikely ha Se he's uming he iolence agains a whi e man, who s ands as he
ul ima e cause
o
sla e y, has somehow pu e en s igh . This would
a
he same ime
en ail a solu ion o he con lic ha bese s no only Se he bu also E a
in
Mo ison's
Sula, as i would signa! a ecogni ion ha a
mo he '
s desi e o p o ec h
e
child en mus
s op sho
o
aking hei li es.
As
a ma e
o
ac , he e is ex ual e idence
o
suppo any, and all,
o
hese
heo ies.
In
any case, he esul is ha he pas , in he o m
o
Belo ed
's
p esence in
he house,
ha
s now been exo cised, and he house s ands as jus "ano he wea he ed
house needing epai " (264
).
Paul
's
e u n o 124 and his decision
o
pu his s o y nex
o Se he's embody he esolu ion
o
he d ama
o
hese A ican-Ame ican people
li ing
a
he u ning poin be ween sla e y and eedom: hei wo pas s pu oge he
cqual no ano he pas , bu a u u e.