The effect of Violation(Critical lens #2)

In the article "Rape", it says that Sethe was psychologically damaged from the assault at Sweet Home. Of course, I agree. She experienced PTSD and this influenced her future decisions. Even in the present tense of the book, we can feel the aura of Sethe's mental pain. She makes her decisions not only for herself but also for Denver. She has an extremely sensitive motherly instinct and this causes her to overprotect Denver. Though some may argue this is simply for Denver's good, then why are they living in a haunted house? If she wants the best for Denver, why don't they have a better house? Secondly, I'd argue that Sethe has PTSD, like Paul D. When Paul D enters the house, he brings his issues with him, which he "shares". On a psychoanalytical lens, Sethe is feeling jumpy and sensitive. The article also states that Paul D's PTSD stems from what he saw at Sweet Home. To avoid his own injury, he stood witness to Sethe's pain, her breastmilk theft. Now, he regrets not doing anything for her- which causes his trauma. Unlike Sethe, he doesn't allow this trauma to influence his decisions. He acts out of what is good for his new family, Sethe and Denver. On a psychoanalytical lens, Paul is inflicted with PTSD, but still mentally stable. In general, the rape has made an extremely negative impact, of course, on Sethe. But it also negatively afflicted Denver. Her mom overprotects her and this will hurt her. Denver will rarely be able to make independent decisions, atleast without her mother. On a historical level, this also shows us the context. Sethe, a black woman, was held down both physically and socially, by the Sweet Home boys, who were primarily white. On a psychoanalytical level, this shows us how Sethe feels pressured and always feels like she is held down; with Paul D coming into the picture, she can no longer hold the mother-daughter, single strong bond that she used to have. In this way, Paul D might actually be hurting Sethe.