Stepping Out of Her World

Within Beloved, Denver is really the only character who forced herself into a world that she did not know. Her mother, grandmother, and "sister" hid themselves from the world they had known because of the pain it had caused. But by doing so, they kept themselves from leading fulfilling and productive lives. This fact is particularly disappointing because Sethe and Suggs were both women who with potential to have beautiful lives. Suggs with her preaching, and Sethe raising her children. But when their past life of slavery caught up with them, that future was killed when Sethe murdered her child. That act was what sealed the women into their bubble, in an attempt to hide from the horrors the world had brought to them. Neither Sethe, Suggs, nor Beloved changed in a way that could bring them back to the real world. Suggs died, and Sethe was hindered by Beloved's manipulation and haunting. Denver is the only women who broke out of her jail of sheltered fear. Without Denver, I do not believe Sethe would have been able to get away from Beloved. While Denver could be ignorant at times, throughout the novel she grows into an independent and intelligent young lady. You can see how her maturity changes and her perspective of specific situations shifts. In the end, when she finally leaves her home by herself, that is symbolic of her leaving childhood and entering adulthood. She was a warrior and went to battle to save her mother.