Loss Of Identity In Toni Morrison's Beloved

In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, she portrays the emotional pain and coping mechanisms of a family haunted by the memories of slavery. The spiritual, physical, and emotional devastations are detrimental to these former slaves’ senses of self and cause characters such as Denver to alienate themselves from the community. In addition, Denver’s lack of independence can be attributed to her mother Sethe’s obsessive need to “protect” her from the dangers of the real world and its hauntings. However, by keeping Denver in a house haunted by Sethe’s dead child’s spirit, she prevents both Denver and herself from healing and properly developing. In addition, a reversal of roles for Denver and Sethe causes Denver to create an independent identity and claim true ownership of herself. Therefore, faced by the evil spirit of her reincarnated sister Beloved, Denver claims ownership of herself and reverses the previous role of a dependent child relying on the damaged soul of her mother to an independent member of society who saves her mother from the abusive grasp of Beloved. Although Denver is physically an adult, she is unable to function as one due to her dependence on her mother. Denver’s emotional development has been stunted by years of isolation in the house of 124 and …show more content…
When Sethe brings Paul D upstairs, Beloved begs Denver to drive him away. However, Denver fears Sethe’s rage and holds the crying Beloved in her arms. Denver’s fear of Sethe is seen again when she describes that “Now it’s just us and I can protect her till my daddy gets here to help me watch out for Ma’am and anything come in the yard” (245). Denver has struggled to claim ownership of herself due to the abandonment she feels due to the pain felt from an incomplete family. This is because her youth has consisted of her isolation and fear of others, as well as her hope for her father’s