Ice Skating With a Ghost

At the beginning of part II of Beloved,  Sethe goes ice skating with Denver and Beloved. This experience becomes an important moment for Sethe's character development. It also speaks to the speaks to the value of relationships and how a community does not have to define you.  

This moment is one of strength for Sethe. She find that even with the issues in her life from the ghost of the baby and the way the town has treated her after what she did she can find enjoyment and fun in life. Additionally, she begins to realize that Beloved could be, through some mystery, her dead daughter reborn. This realization makes Sethe hopeful for a future on her own terms.

The bond that this experience creates among the two younger women is also important. Dever's crisis of trying to find her own identity is partially resolved through Beloved who provides the companionship that she needs to help form it.