Slavery has had a physical affect on many characters. "School teacher made one open on my back, and when it closed it made a tree. It grows there still," (17) states Sethe describing the scar of a tree on her back. Sethe was whipped with cowhide for telling Mrs. Garner that the boys of the schoolteacher had taken milk from her that was for her baby. Sethe was whipped so hard that "...he had touched every ridge and leaf of it with his mouth, none of which Sethe could feel because her back skin had been dead for years" (18). Even though years had passed Sethe is still

In Beloved, we see evidence of the affects of slavery on families during that time. Slavery has lead to the break up of many families. Going back to when Sethe was a slave, she did not have any parents herself, and lost her husband when she ran away to Ohio trying to free herself. Slavery also led her to kill one of her children, and the ghost of that dead child, Beloved, led to both of her son's running away. In attempts to break free from the chain of slavery, Sethe had to put her family aside to gain freedom for herself and her one daughter Denver. Baby Suggs lost all of her eight children due to slavery, four children were taken from her and four were chased away. She tells Sethe that she should be thankful that she had three children left but it was because of these conditions that many former slaves were able to grow into a closer bond with each other.

Slavery also affected Sethe psychologically because the threat of slavery onto her children lead to the killing of one of her own children. Sethe did not want one of her children, Beloved, to live like how she had and to suffer like how she had suffered. Sethe believed that Beloved would be better off dead then to have been a slave to someone. Sethe believed that "....what she had done was right because it came from true love" (251). Slavery had to have affected Sethe psychologically because no mother in their right mind would kill their own children, but the negative affects of slavery and having been through the life of a slave, Sethe strongly believed that Beloved should not have to live the life of a slave. Sethe felt rather than having to suffer, Beloved would be better of dead.

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Approximate Word count = 1118
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)