Howard and Buglar are a little bit harder to diagnose in terms of fear. Howard and Buglar are only in the book for a very short time so they don’t have a lot to be afraid of. According to chapter one of Beloved, Howar and Buglar left 124 because they were afraid of the baby ghost Beloved. “…Howard and Buglar, had run away by the time they were thirteen years old—as soon as merely looking in a mirror shattered it (that was the signal for Buglar); as soon as two tiny hand prints appeared in the cake (that was it for Howard)." (pg. 1) Chapter one makes it seem as if Beloved’s ghost made it unbearable for them to live in 124 anymore. At this point in the story, it definitely seems believeable that a haunting ghost would be the reason for Howard and Buglar to decide to leave.
As the book continues though, the motives behind Buglar and Howard’s departure start to become unclear. Up until chapter 16 it seems as if the reason Buglar and Howard left was because of the ghost. Then, everything changes. In chapter 16, Sethe tries to kill Howard and Buglar so they won’t have to be brought back to Sweet Home by schoolteacher. “Inside, two boys bled in the sawdust and dirt…” (pg. 149) Denver, Howard, and Buglar were so close to death that schoolteacher didn’t even consider taking them back to Sweet Home. “Right off it was clear, to schoolteacher especially, that there was nothing to claim.” (pg. 149) After reading this, Howard and Buglar’s motive could be that they were afraid their mother would try to kill them again. Sethe had taken those drastic measures before so Howard and Buglar thought that, if Sethe thought it was necessary, she would try to do it again. When Sethe tried to kill her children, only Howard and Buglar were old enough to remember. This memory and the fear of trying to be killed again could have been the reason that they decided to run away from 124.
In my opinion, Howard and Buglar left because they were afraid of their mother trying to kill them again, not the ghost of Beloved. Going back to the second quote above from page 149, I don’t know how Howard and Buglar could possibly live the rest of their childhood with Sethe after she had put them on the brink of death. Howard and Buglar had put up with the ghost of Beloved for a while so I don’t really think it bothered them that much. With Sethe however, a memory of trying to be killed can never be erased. Howard and Buglar were just waiting until they got old enough in order to survive on their own before they left. They had to wait before they ran away because they knew if they ran any earlier they would not have been able to survive on their own. It seems illogical to me to run from a ghost when the person who tried to kill them is still alive and living with them. Howard and Buglar know that if schoolteacher ever came back to 124 that there is a chance that Sethe would try to kill them again. If I were in the same shoes as Howard and Buglar, the fear of being killed would cause me to run; not a baby ghost haunting my house.
The website bookrags.com also believes that Howard and Buglar left home because of their fear of Sethe. When summarizing Howard and Buglar, the website says, “They ran away from 124 after about 9 years because they feared their mother might try to kill them again.” (http://www.bookrags.com/notes/bel/CHR.html) Howard and Buglar had a fear that they could not solve unless they left 124. For them, they could not risk being with Sethe any longer.
Do you think Howard and Beloved left 124 because of their fear of Sethe or is there another reason? Would you have left because the house you were living in was haunted or because you would be afraid that your mother would try to kill you again?
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We talked about this in class, and I definitely agree that at the beginning we all believed that Howard and Buglar were leaving 124 solely because the baby's ghost was haunting the house. I am still in shock since realizing that the real reason they left is because Sethe attempted to brutally murder them in her attempt to save them from slavery.
ReplyDeleteI do not believe there is another logical reason for them to leave their stable home, other than that of their unstable mother.
I would have left my house due to the fear of my mother attempting to kill me again. You are completely right in stating that a living human being is much more of a threat than that of a dead baby haunting a house.
I also found a quote that pertains to Howard and Buglar's fear. "I guess they rather be around killing men than killing women, and there sure is something in her that makes it all right to kill her own" (205). I think this quote is saying that by running away from 124, Howard and Buglar may be running towards "killing men" (slave owners/catchers), but they are running away from the "killing women" (Sethe). It also shows that the speaker of this quote believes that there is something in Sethe that makes it believe it is alright to kill her children, meaning she could easily attempt a murder again.
ReplyDeleteHoward and Buglar, I do think, left 124 out of fear from Sethe. Beloved's ghost did nothing but remind them of what their mother's done.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Maggie but would like to make clear a point:I think it is important to remember they weren't babies like Denver and Beloved when Sethe committed the Unspeakable Crime. Their recollection of Sethe's "four-legged" (animal-esque) act is much more accurate and real than that of Beloved. The poor little boys probably even tried to relent before she nearly killed them.
Yes, I think the analysis of Howard and Buglar running away that was given here is accurate.
ReplyDeleteMakes sense
ReplyDelete