Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Denver, Baby it's Cold Outside

At the beginning of the novel, I did not sympathize with Denver. She seemed so dependent on Sethe and her love not to mention she was a little bit creepy. Later we learned that she was screwed up by isolation and the idea that she was living with a woman who had once tried to kill her but she was still supposed to love. I started to change my tune but then she became obsessed with Beloved. I could not understand how she would side with her reborn dead sister so late in the novel when Beloved was obviously only causing harm. But then she went outside. She got out of 124 and talked to some people from the community that had rejected her family. It was extremely brave and a major turning point for her and the novel because it ended up solving all her problems. Denver grew so much as a person and a character within a couple pages that it was almost unbelievable. It was nice to see Denver standing on her own when everything she knew was deteriorating but was some fresh air and new people really all she needed?
By going outside Denver obtained a new perspective. Forced out of her comfortable binary with Sethe, she was able to see how unhealthy it was. She sees Sethe and Beloved in the same, if more intense, binary and decides to make a change. Last we see Denver she is the least dependent character in the book. Sethe and Paul D depend on each other to keep the past in the past and grow together but Denver is her own new person. She even confronts Paul D about his infidelity. To conclude, Denver is a badass.

2 comments:

  1. I definitely empathize with how you feel about Denver in the early stages of the book. I mean she was 18 or something like that and still really dependent on Sethe and extremely immature socially. I agree however that her being able to put aside her pride and hurt to fix her family was a big step. Yay Denver for growing up.

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  2. I think that Beloved was definitely a coming of age story for Denver. This shift between being dependent on to supporting Sethe is a little too late in the book for me, I would like it to be sooner. However I was so glad when she stopped being so immature and grew up into a rational adult when she was desperately needed. So I agree with Olivia, "Yay Denver for growing up."

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