The Role Of Masculinity In Beloved

Gendered treatment refers to the differential treatment of people based on their genders. Men were prevented from being fathers, husbands, or even fully realized people with agency, in many ways Traditional gender roles dictated that a man had to be strong, resilient and unemotional, and most of all superior to women because of their intelligence. Male slaves were more likely to be on their receiving end of violence. During work and outside of it, slaves suffered physical abuse including brandings, shootings, "floggings," and even worse punishments, all of which was allowed by the government. Flogging was a term often used to describe the average lashing or whipping a slave would receive for misbehaving. Many times, a slave would also simply
Within this freedom, men hoped to create a distinct and memorable name or to even feel that they have agency over their lives. Paul D remembers feeling so low while enslaved that he envies a rooster back at Sweet Home. The rooster was called Mister, a name that carries respect and pride. To Paul D, he “looked so . . . free” (73) and was given total freedom to “be and stay what he [is].” Mister is “king” to Paul D because in comparison Paul D’s masculinity is weak and frail. Paul D has no agency over no life, he in unable to be free and as result will inevitability be forgotten. Without freedom attached to it, masculinity eats away at a man, and can even lead to envying literal animals. Loss of masculinity also means loss of control. According to traditional gender roles, men are supposed to be commanding, authoritative and strategic at all times. Slavery takes that away by putting all the decision-making power in the hang of external forces like a slave owner or overseer. This can eventually lead to feeling out of control with making internal decisions once
He cannot even control the flow of his emotional past back to himself while having sex with Beloved. Beloved emasculates Paul D the same way his owners had, by taking control away from him. Without this control, his masculinity is intangible. Masculinity and dominance are intrinsically tied Beloved. During his time on the chain gang, Paul D and his fellow workers face constant loss of dominance, as they are forced to sexually submit to guards in the form of oral violation. Forced into submission, they are “kneeling… [waiting] for the whim of a guard.” (107) Within this act, masculinity is displaced. The male slaves are raped of their masculinity by being violated into submission. In Beloved, masculinity is undefined without dominance., and manhood is synonymous with power. Moreover, it is incessantly competed for. Most slave owners refer to their male slaves, all and sundry, as “boys” (1.10) to evoke their power These slave owners believe that by calling their male slaves boy, no matter how old they get, they will never truly become men, and will therefore never be a true threat to them. This idea is rebutted by Sweet Home’s slave owner, Mr. Garner, who challenges: “…if you a man yourself, you’ll want your niggers to be men too.” (1.10) Garner’s intent in this retort is to bolster his own manhood in juxtaposition to other slave