Part 10

chapters 24 - 25

In Chapter 24, Paul D is found brooding upon the steps of the church, thinking both about how life could have been with Sethe, and also about the loss of his manhood through Beloved. The thoughts make him question what constitutes a man, and his mind floods with images of Sweet Home.

In his mind, Paul D recounts the day Sixo returned from a neighboring farm with news that two men would be coming down to take slaves North. However, while trying to flee, he and Sixo had been caught. Sixo had been burned alive, singing and laughing, and Paul D had been collared. On his way to find Sethe, Halle had been caught by schoolteacher, and somehow that day Sethe ended up locked in the barn and her milk taken from her while Halle watched, helplessly. Only her children managed to escape.

Explanation on next page >>