Paul D endures the sweet noose of love for Halle's former wife, the only woman he has allowed close enough to touch his atrophied emotions. In her house, he becomes "a rag doll"; without her, he probes "what-if thoughts that cut deep but struck nothing solid a man could hold on to." The stark reality of his helplessness is made clear through details—his lack of material goods such as shoes for the journey and his overwhelming ignorance of geography, road signs, and interaction with a free populace.
Although Sethe and Paul D are both dehumanized during their slave experiences, their responses to the experience differ due to their different roles. Sethe derives strength and resolve from her role as a mother. To Sethe, the threat of losing her sons to the auction block and the very real loss of sustenance for her breastfed baby are enough to send her fleeing Sweet Home, despite her heavy belly, her separation from her husband, and the trauma of a severe lashing. Meanwhile, the only role Paul D knows is that of being a man. For Paul D, slavery’s devaluation of his personhood equals emasculation. The three-pointed collar shames him in front of Sethe, a woman whose acceptance he obviously values. Paul D flees Sethe's strength and determination after he learns that she murdered a child to spare it a similar life of subjugation. In stereotypical convention of male behaviors, Paul D soothes his wounded ego with liquor, a perverse communion ironically celebrated while seated on the front steps of the Redeemer's church, which is too cold to afford him comfort.
