The role of Denver in Beloved
The role of Denver in BelovedBeloved by Toni Morrison delivers intense and intriguing themes which create a powerful and rich story line. These themes are intertwined into the story lines within the story line, and the themes are carried within the strength and mystery embodied within each character. Slavery, murder, womanhood, manhood, human nature, death, and love are just a few of the themes that surround this novel to create nothing less than a masterpiece. The plot of Beloved does not carry itself throughout the novel but relies heavily on the intricacy of each character and their relationships with each other. One main character central to the story line yet restricted from falling into the depth of its central influences is Denver. Throughout the novel, Denver struggles to combat extreme feelings of loneliness, isolation, and abandonment by trying to find her own place in the history of her family. In this essay, I will discuss Denver’s relationship to other central characters and the story line by explaining the method which Morrison uses Denver’s character to reach the naivete of the reader.
The connection between Denver and other character’s in the novel relies heavily on her eagerness and determination to uncover the truth behind the events which have transpired in the history of her family. Denver is searching for a sense of clarity, but, most important, she is searching for her own connection to this tumultuous past. For example, she wants to know more about her father, Halle, learn what exactly happened the night she was born, events that transpired at Sweet Home, and, especially, any information that may explain why their house is haunted by the spirit of her mother’s murdered child. The absence of a connection to her family’s past is revealed early in the novel when Paul D., a man who Denver’s mother, Sethe, knew from her presence at Sweet Home. Morrison writes, “Denver sat down on the bottom of the step. There was nowhere else to go. They were a twosome, saying ‘Your daddy’ and ‘Sweet Home’ in a way that made it clear both belonged to them and not to her” (15). Denver’s search for her connection to her family’s past is dependent upon the contribution to the story line from each of the main characters, Sethe, Paul D., Grandma Baby Suggs, and Beloved, the haunting entity. It is primarily through Denver’s relationship with Beloved that reveals her character’s connection to her family’s past and the importance of her character’s role in the story line.
Morrison reveals Denver’s character to the reader through her relationship, first, with the haunting entity of the house, and, second, with her relationship with beloved, the physical presence of the haunting entity. The troubled and unsettled soul of her mother’s murdered child haunting the house mirrors Denver’s own feelings. Early in the novel, when the reader...
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