Eye Contact In Toni Morrison's Beloved

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Eye contact: a dangerous, dangerous and lovely thing in Beloved
To look into someone’s eyes, to lock eyes, to stare someone down—the English language recognizes the power of eye-contact. The simple but significant act of meeting someone else’s eyes universally conveys equality between two individuals and courage. As expected, this straightforward gesture of respect is important in Toni Morrison’s novel, Beloved, which tells the story of freed black characters who recall the degradation and dehumanization they suffered as slaves.
For characters like Paul D., who question their right to be called a “man”(, eye-contact with the people they knew during their enslavement is challenging. Their journey to self-respect is arduous. In Paul’s case, …show more content…
Yet, he’s afraid if he gets too close to her, he will be unable to keep the pain of their shared memories of slavery at bay. He describes her face as “A face too still for comfort; irises the same color as her skin, which, in that still face, used to make him think of a mask with mercifully punched-out eyes” (10). Since authors often use detailed descriptions of eyes to emphasize infatuation and love, Paul D’s description of “irises the same color as her skin” initially seems romantic. However, it’s overshadowed by the disturbing image of “a mask with mercifully punched-out eyes”. The oxymoronic sounding phrase “mercifully punched-out” highlights Paul’s violent experience with slavery which he sees reflected in Sethe’s eyes. If he doesn’t look into her eyes, he doesn’t have to examine his memories of being a slave too …show more content…
The mean black eyes. The wet dress steaming before the fire. Her tenderness about his neck jewelry…” (321). Paul uses the metaphor of “wrought iron” to describe how Sethe’s strength has been forged by pain. His admiration for her resilience is clear through the juxtaposing imagery of a “delicious mouth still puffy at the corner” from being punched. As he looks at Sethe’s “mean black eyes” he is able to reconcile his memories from the past (“the wet dress steaming before the fire”) with the woman in front of him. While admiring Sethe, he realizes that the the thing he admires most about her—her fortitude—is something that could apply to him too. Like her, he has survived the indignities of being a slave and has visible marks to prove it; whereas she has scars on his back, he has “neck jewelry”. In realizing that Sethe looks past Paul D., the slave, to Paul D., the man, Paul receives the ability to accept his past and move
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