Beloved by Toni Morison

In Toni Morison’s novel Beloved, the character of Denver exemplifies the Sterne quotation above. She is drawn to Beloved but is also fiercely loyal to her mother whom Beloved is steadily devouring. Denver is divided between the love she have for her mother and the need for love she seeks from Beloved. Because Beloved is causing both mental and physical harm to Sethe, the forces dividing Denver are pulling in opposite directions. It is there ‘contrary direction’ that is tearing Denver’s mind apart; she cannot have one without losing the other. Love is immeasurable; it cannot be quantified or even rationalized in this case and therefore Denver’s love for her mother and her need for love from Beloved are ‘two projects of equal strength’.

The relationships and bonds of love between Denver, Sethe, and Beloved may appear unbalanced but the equality of their strength is what leaves Denver being ‘torn asunder’ for so long. If her love for Sethe had been stronger than her need for love she would never have tried so hard to win Beloved’s affections. The length of her indecision and the deep isolation she felt are evidence of her intense psychological pain. It is not until she is able to abandon Beloved, a symbol of Sethe’s (and through her Denver’s) past, that she can begin to heal her spiritual wounds and move into the future as an individual, actions that embody Toni Morison’s messages in the novel.

Beloved’s appearance offers Denver another source of attention and love. Denver feels as though Paul has stolen her mother from her and hence all of her mother’s love. Though Denver has very strong feelings towards Beloved their bond is nowhere near that of the one she shared with Sethe. Denver’s resentment of Paul D. and Sethe’s relat

Some topics in this essay:
Beloved Beloved, Sethe Beloved, Sethe Denver, Denver Sethe, Toni Morison’s, Paul Sethe’s, Beloved Beloved’s, Home Sethe, Suddenly Sethe, , love beloved, love denver, toni morison’s, sethe separated, mother love, denver sethe, resentment paul, love mother, love mother love, projects equal,