The conflicts that develop in one’s life can often stem from two opposing forces pulling them in differing ways. The result of these conflicts may propel the person forward and cause them to develop, and the outcome may hold benefits not only for the person in the midst of them, but also for others in that person’s life. In Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Denver is continually pulled between her secluded life in 124 and the connection with others that she dearly craves; it is not until the presence of her sister, Beloved, takes hold in the household that Denver is able to venture beyond 124 and discover the restorative power of community, a theme which resonates throughout the novel. Denver leads a life in seclusion brought on by her fearful love
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Denver reflects on the absence of certain figures in her life, noting that “All that leaving: first her brothers, then her grandmother [. . .] none of that had mattered as long as her mother did not look away as she was doing now, making Denver long, downright long, for a sign of spite from the baby ghost” (15). Denver feels she has been abandoned by so many in her life, resulting in a serious and somewhat unhealthy attachment to her mother and the ghost of baby Beloved. She craves attention from others, whether that come in the form of something as simple as a gaze from her mother or an act of malice from a vengeful spirit—anything to make her feel seen and heard. Denver is close with Beloved before she is even present corporeally as “Ever since [Denver] was little [Beloved] was [her] company and she helped [her] wait for [her] daddy” (242). Denver’s only true constant relationship in her life has been with Beloved; from baby ghost to beautiful young woman, Beloved has been in her life as a source of companionship, which draws Denver closer and closer to her. The type of one-sided relationship they have, however, can satisfy Denver’s need for connection for only so long; this is just the taste that drives Denver to want more. Denver reflects on her relationship with Beloved and feels that “To go back to the original hunger was impossible [. . .] But to be looked …show more content…
Upon running into an old childhood classmate, Denver muses that “All he did was smile and say, ‘Take care of yourself, Denver,” but she heard it as though it were what language was made for” and “his words [. . .] opened her mind.” (297) This interaction is one of the first times Denver witnesses the true benefits of being in a community with others, where something so simple gives her the courage to forge ahead. She is given the confidence to not only find a job and take care of Sethe and Beloved, but also the confidence to take control of her life and find herself. The women within the community forge together to perform a sort of exorcism of Beloved, wherein “the voices of [the] women searched for the right combination [. . .] Building voice upon voice until they found it, and when they did it was a wave of sound wide enough to sound deep water and knock the pods off chestnut trees.” (308). Beloved has surpassed the community’s anger at Sethe and Baby Suggs’ “thick love”, and the women of the community are finally able to do what they refused to do at Sethe’s arrest; protect their own. The redeem themselves and look out for Denver and Sethe, fulfilling the type of love and community Baby Suggs always preached about. When Denver runs into Paul D, who used to live at 124, he notices that she is “Thinner, steady in the eyes,
Denver reflects on the absence of certain figures in her life, noting that “All that leaving: first her brothers, then her grandmother [. . .] none of that had mattered as long as her mother did not look away as she was doing now, making Denver long, downright long, for a sign of spite from the baby ghost” (15). Denver feels she has been abandoned by so many in her life, resulting in a serious and somewhat unhealthy attachment to her mother and the ghost of baby Beloved. She craves attention from others, whether that come in the form of something as simple as a gaze from her mother or an act of malice from a vengeful spirit—anything to make her feel seen and heard. Denver is close with Beloved before she is even present corporeally as “Ever since [Denver] was little [Beloved] was [her] company and she helped [her] wait for [her] daddy” (242). Denver’s only true constant relationship in her life has been with Beloved; from baby ghost to beautiful young woman, Beloved has been in her life as a source of companionship, which draws Denver closer and closer to her. The type of one-sided relationship they have, however, can satisfy Denver’s need for connection for only so long; this is just the taste that drives Denver to want more. Denver reflects on her relationship with Beloved and feels that “To go back to the original hunger was impossible [. . .] But to be looked …show more content…
Upon running into an old childhood classmate, Denver muses that “All he did was smile and say, ‘Take care of yourself, Denver,” but she heard it as though it were what language was made for” and “his words [. . .] opened her mind.” (297) This interaction is one of the first times Denver witnesses the true benefits of being in a community with others, where something so simple gives her the courage to forge ahead. She is given the confidence to not only find a job and take care of Sethe and Beloved, but also the confidence to take control of her life and find herself. The women within the community forge together to perform a sort of exorcism of Beloved, wherein “the voices of [the] women searched for the right combination [. . .] Building voice upon voice until they found it, and when they did it was a wave of sound wide enough to sound deep water and knock the pods off chestnut trees.” (308). Beloved has surpassed the community’s anger at Sethe and Baby Suggs’ “thick love”, and the women of the community are finally able to do what they refused to do at Sethe’s arrest; protect their own. The redeem themselves and look out for Denver and Sethe, fulfilling the type of love and community Baby Suggs always preached about. When Denver runs into Paul D, who used to live at 124, he notices that she is “Thinner, steady in the eyes,