Denver's Character Development
Beloved, written by Toni Morrison, revolves around the character Sethe and her story of escaping from slavery at Sweet Home. Her daughter, Denver, is obviously intertwined within Sethe’s story and a lot of Denver’s experiences in life are affected by Sethe’s past. Denver represents how generational trauma resulting from slavery can affect a person because even though Denver never lived on the Sweet Home plantation, her mother and father did. Sethe and all of the memories, emotions, and trauma that she carries with her every day have an effect on Denver because they affect her daily life, her mental health, and the relationships she has with the people in her life. Beloved begins when Denver is about 18, and as a young adult, the struggles of other people her age are only a small fraction of what Denver experiences. Denver represents this middle character who faces all of the repercussions and trauma of slavery, yet still feels unable to relate to her mother or her family at Sweet Hom