Denver

Through the first two chapters of Beloved I thought Denver was a young girl, perhaps ten years old. When Paul D arrives, Denver becomes jealous of the shared memories between her mother and Paul D. She tries to draw her mother's attention back to herself by bringing up the baby. Later, Denver rudely asks how long Paul D was planning on "hanging around," (52) just as a young, discontented child would. And let's not forget that Denver also has a secret "boxwood" fort in which she stores her most prized possessions, various bottles of cologne. She even stole a bottle from her mother.

However, Denver is actually eighteen years old. When Paul D first meets Denver, he mused, "Last time I saw your mama, you were pushing out the front of her dress," (13) which was eighteen years ago. I believe Denver is portrayed as a young girl to emphasize the dependence she has on her mother. She is a grown child. I believe this characterization of Denver was meant to emphasize the strong connection between every one in the house. Denver strongly relies on her mother, who relies on the house as well as Paul D. Paul D relies on Sethe, who also seems to rely on the ghost baby. Beloved relies on Sethe, and Denver relies on Beloved.