Sethe settles Paul D's quandary by inviting his return to her bed. Paul D, angry at being displaced in Sethe's affections, scuffs along behind, "icy cold." Seeing Denver, his other adversary, he thinks, "And whose ally you?" Concerned for Beloved's health, Sethe instead wraps her in the shawl. Holding out a shawl to her mother, Beloved breaks the romantic spell. Joyously, he hoists Sethe on his back and runs toward home.Īs usual, Beloved awaits Sethe's return. Snowflakes fall on the couple, and Paul D talks himself into adopting his own suggestion. Paul D's proposal surprises him with its threefold application: A pregnancy would return him to Sethe, salvage his manhood, and break Beloved's hold on him. Inexplicably, he decides not to confess his relations with Beloved, instead proposing that he and Sethe conceive a child. The look of resignation in Sethe's eyes tells Paul D that she expects him to leave her. Paul D tries to prepare her for the revelation that Beloved has overpowered and sapped his strong sense of independence. She smiles with "pleasure and surprise" when she sees him and hurries to finish her work.
Paul D's bitter recriminations return him to the scene of Sixo's death, when Sixo displayed his strength by refusing to cry out while his body roasted over flames.įears for his lost sense of self impel Paul D to seek Sethe at Sawyer's restaurant. After schoolteacher took over the management of Sweet Home, the slaves realized that they had nurtured a false sense of security. Three weeks into his affair with Beloved, Paul D ponders his servitude under Garner, who allowed so much freedom that the male Sweet Home slaves were deluded into thinking themselves men.
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