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 Home, and this results in the resentment that Denver feels towards almost everyone in her life.
Denver’s feeling of separation from both the experiences of her mother, Sethe and the isolation she receives from the people in her town, affect her mental health and personal life. 124, her home, is known in the town as this haunted place, a house that holds years of sorrow and pain, and therefore everyone avoids it at all costs. Denver confesses to her mother and Paul D. in the kitchen, “I can’t live here. I don't know where to go or what to do, but I can’t live here. Nobody speaks to us. Nobody comes by. Boy’s don’t like me. Girls don't either.”, desperately trying to explain how overwhelmed she is by the isolation (17). She feels separate from her mother and Paul D. and when Paul D. arrives at their house, conversations become focused on Sweet Home. Although Denver has so many ties to Sweet Home, as both her father and mother met there and she was born whilst Sethe was escaping Sweet Home, she understands that those conversations never are about her ties to Sweet Home. Denver explains after Paul D. mentions her father that, “They [Sethe and Paul D.] were a twosome, saying “Your daddy” and “Sweet Home” in a way that made it clear both belonged to them [Paul D. and Sethe] and not to her.” (15). This reaffirms to Denver that she will never be part of the Sweet Home story, and although this is a good thing because of the unimaginable horrors of Sweet Home, it doesn’t stop Denver from feeling left out as that was the last place her father was. To Denver, it feels that because Sweet Home is brought up so many times in conversation, it furthers the detachment she feels from her mother.
A major change in Denver’s persona is when Beloved arrives at the 124 home. Beloved gives her something that is hers, something that she can put her time and love into. Caring for someone else helps Denver break out of her hard shell, and the dark nature of the house fades partially into the background as Beloved is a bright spot for her. Denver becomes incredibly close to Beloved and even after she has a realization who Beloved is, watches her choke Paul D., and understands the weight of her presence, Denver is unquestionably drawn to Beloved. She even goes out of the house for the first time in years to get food for her family, because of Beloved. Denver disregards all of Beloved’s bad behavior because of the attachment she feels with Beloved. Beloved is the first person who Denver doesn’t feel judged by Beloved which we can say in the following lines: “[...] Beloved rested cheek on knuckles and looked at Denver with attention. It was lovely. Not to be stared at, but being pulled into view by the interested, uncritical eyes of the other.” (139). This bond that Denver and Beloved share is incredibly important for Denver’s character development. It motivates Denver to begin seeking opportunities in the outside world and eventually she meets people from town, goes to college, and feels more and more comfortable around others. Beloved was the turning point for Denver and although there were underlying tensions because of Beloved’s identity and her interactions with other members of the 124 households, it gave Denver someone and something to love and care for, in the way she wished Sethe had been able to do for her and the rest of her children.
This is an insightful account of how the physical reappearance of Beloved has such a transformative effect on Denver, giving her a purpose and meaning to her otherwise rather empty and isolated daily existence. When Beloved was in "ghost form," she maybe can't serve this role in the same way--Denver still feels this proprietary or protective impulse with the "baby ghost," but the fact that Denver's main "company" for her entire childhood is a ghost doesn't help much with her social development, and it's a big part of why Denver seems so weird and strange to other people.
ReplyDeleteNote also how the ultimate breaking of this bond is necessary for Denver to grow and live independently, as she begins part 3 by breaking free of the household, leaving Sethe and Beloved to their toxic, self-destructive dynamic, and reentering the world on her own. In the end, she has to move past this literal obsession with the past and move into the future, as the symbolic child born outside of slavery.
This is a great blog post. When I first finished Beloved I hadn't connected the dots between Denver's overwhelming feeling of isolation, and how Sweet Home further disconnects her from Sethe. The concept of generational trauma, as you said, is also extremely prominent in the novel. It was interesting to read about how Sethe reacted to her trauma versus how Denver reacted to Sethe's experiences with trauma. Overall, great job!
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with this. Beloved is a defining presence in Denver's life, from when she drinks Beloved's blood to when Beloved comes back as an adult and Denver basically raises and cares for her until she has become more mature. We can also see that although Denver barely left the house as she grew up, she found a comfort and a friend in Beloved's ghost. We can see Denver and Beloved's relationship as defining to Denver's character, and I think you do a really great job at enunciating this!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog post Amalia! I agree with your point about how Denvers life and person change when Beloved arrives. Beloved helps Denver be vulnerable and live in the present with those around her. This was a really well written post and you do a great job of going into detail with all the points you make.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I agree that Beloved and Denver have such an interesting and complex relationship. From the moment Beloved arrives Denver is there taking care of her, almost like she had never died and they truly grew up together. I think everything that has happened has isolated Denver so much and to have someone like Beloved to talk to and to be there as her companion was huge for her character development.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! I was confused as to why Denver and Beloved had such a strong connection, other than the fact that they were siblings. Denver was not only isolated within the community to just her family, but also within her household from Sethe and from Paul D, because of her lack of connection to Sweet Home. This explains why her connection with Beloved was so impactful on her, as there is no barrier to their relationship, unlike with Sethe.
ReplyDeleteThis is a marvelous post! I definitely agree that Beloved provides something special for Denver that she was not receiving from anyone else, especially at the times when she needed it most. Beloved almost gave Denver, in a way, a sense of purpose and belonging. For Denver, loving and caring for someone else showed her that she can do the same for herself, and Beloved paved the way for her. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe relationship Denver and Beloved had was a really intriguing aspect of the plot. As Beloved grew closer to Sethe Denver became more and more disconnected from Sethe, yet Beloved and Denver had a curiously strong relationship and gave each other strength. I think you do a nice job of getting deep into the unique connection they had and the impact it had on both girls.
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