The woman who comes out of the river fully clothed is a great mystery in the story so far. However, I believe she is the rebirth of the child that haunts 124. When Sethe first sees this woman she experiences a sensation like her water breaking (61). She also says the woman's hands and feet are smooth and look like new skin (62). This leads me to believe this woman is connected to one of her children.
I think this woman is connected to her daughter that haunts 124. On the headstone of the grave for Sethe's daughter it merely says "Beloved" which is the name the woman from the river goes by. She is also around the right age, 18 or 19, to be Sethe's daughter if she was still alive.
In addition, when Denver, Sethe, and Paul D return from the fair to find her at their house, Here Boy is nowhere to be found. The ghost of Sethe's daughter had once thrown Here Boy against the wall and dislocated his shoulder and eye, and he never reentered the house after that incident. Here Boy is probably nowhere in sight because the ghost is now in a more solid form, and able to do more damage to him.
On page 45, Denver says, "'Well, I think the baby got plans'" after seeing the white dress holding Sethe. Maybe these plans were to be reborn as this woman?
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