Masculinity In Sweet Home Men

Additionally, Paul D’s inability to appreciate Sethe’s decision hinges largely on his inability to define his own masculinity. To Paul D, ownership and masculinity occur as mutually inclusive concepts; without one he cannot hope to obtain the other. During his time as a slave, Paul D’s former owner, Mr. Garner, refers to him and the other slaves on the plantation as the “Sweet Home Men” as opposed to the “Sweet Home Slaves”. Though this may initially portray the Garner’s in a benevolent light, the implications of Mr. Garner’s statement become convoluted. By distinguishing his slaves as “men”, it suggests that manhood does not already exist intrinsically within slaves, but instead becomes a privilege specifically imparted onto the five men of Sweet
The title of “man” once carried a sense of pride for Paul D, however, upon comprehending its insinuations, began to obscure his ability to define his own manhood. Before leaving 124, he tells Sethe, “You got two feet, Sethe, not four” (194). These words that reduce Sethe from human to animal seemingly imply that Paul D cannot possibly fathom the thought process that brought Sethe to her “rough choice”. However, Paul D speaks those words as a projection of his own personal fear that he himself exhibits animalistic behavior- a fear that he developed in his time at Sweet Home. In realizing he cannot even claim the title of “man”, he feels diminished to something subhuman and, if not human, what ability does he possess to