In her novel Beloved, Toni Morrison expresses her strong feelings about slavery by describing the emotional impact that slavery had on individuals. Using characters such as Mr. Garner and Schoolteacher as facilitators, Morrison is able to illustrate not only how detrimental slavery can be to an individual, but also how it affects everyone differently. Morrison expands on his claims by constantly involving the reader in the emotional workings of several other characters, most notably Paul D., in order to fully show the effect that slavery can have on an individual. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although Mr. Garner is portrayed as a relatively more respectable and humane slave owner, the fact that he owns slaves makes him no better than the schoolteacher. Morrison uses Mr. Garner to show that even if slaves were granted certain freedoms, owning another human being was still detestable. One situation that shows Mr. Garner's reprehensible character is Halle's purchase of her mother, Baby Suggs. As Halle points out to Sethe, "If he hadn't, she would have fallen into his stove...I'm paying him for his last years and in return he got you and me and three more to come." Mr. Garner only authorized the apparently benevolent release of Baby Suggs because he received younger, stronger slaves in exchange. On the other hand, the schoolmaster clearly treats his slaves with a complete lack of respect and a complete lack of moral conscience. Although the schoolmaster's actions were clearly degrading and dehumanizing to his slaves, he justified his actions by classifying the slaves as animals, unworthy of deference. In order to show Schoolteacher's inhumane attitude toward the slaves, the narrator discusses Schoolteacher's view of how Garner ran the plantation: "the spoiling that these particular slaves had at Garner's hands...leaving the Negroes rent their time to buy themselves. have weapons!... He [the teacher] had come to put things in order. The schoolmaster thought it was his job to keep order among these “spoiled” slaves and treat them the way he thought slaves should be treated. The only way he concluded this could be done was through violence and blatant disrespect. Paul D. worked as a slave under Mr. Garner and his teacher, and although they treated him differently, the end result was the same. Both Mr. Garner and Schoolteacher destroyed Paul D.'s self-esteem and confidence, but did so in different ways. Mr. Garner was the first to attack Paul D.'s manhood: although Paul D. acknowledges that Mr. Garner referred to his slaves as men, it was "only during Sweet Home and with his permission." Obviously, this angered Paul D., because he did not need a white master to arbitrarily determine who was manly and who was not. Additionally, Mr. Garner's actions forced Paul D. to question his own judgment about himself and his manhood. However, as soon as the teacher arrived, all of Paul D.'s self-confidence was destroyed. The schoolteacher's lack of respect for the slaves left Paul D. worthless, and Morrison clearly demonstrates the effects of the schoolteacher's rituals in a scene concerning a rooster named Mister. Paul D. replayed the scene for Sethe, saying: Sir, he looked so... free. Better than me. Stronger, harder... Monsieur had the right to be and remain what he was. But I didn't have.