Denver has been obsessed with Beloved ever since she saw her on the side of the road. She became infatuated with Beloved as she was someone with whom to talk and live with (other than her mother and the ghost). For 18 years, she had no one her age to talk to and now, with this new edition to the household, she has something to devote all of her attention to.
This is concerning. Despite obvious "issues" with Beloved, Denver remains convinced that Beloved has good intentions. Denver accused Beloved of trying to choke her mother. She saw Beloved disappear in the cold house, only to reappear minutes later. Yet she convinces herself that Beloved is benevolent. Denver is acting like a twelve year old; totally infatuated with a new toy or friend, she quickly gets over flaws in the item and ignores odd (if not downright terrifying) occurrences having to do with it.
Maybe Denver's blindness is explainable. She has had less contract with the outside world and is therefore less experienced. She doesn't know about deceit or corruption in the hearts of man, and so is oblivious to Beloved's actual potential. Denver's mother's similar ignorance to Beloved is also probably reflected in her, providing a possible explanation for her blindness. However Paul's distrust of Beloved should warn her. Being someone with a wealth of experience, Paul's sense of judgement is keen. He would know whether or not to trust a stranger, as he has had to make this decision many times. The fact that Denver ignores (and is actually angry) with Paul is an indication of her blindness. If Beloved turns out to be an evil spirit, then it's on Denver.
Perhaps Denver's profound interest in Beloved is proof that the teachings of Sethe are flawed; looking at the past as solely a positive influence can be dangerous.
ReplyDeleteLess related, but Denver, Sethe, and Paul D seem like the 3 character archetypes in a horror movie. Sethe is mostly unaware, Denver won't face reason and continues to live in her fantasy, and Paul D is the reasonable one that no one listens to before it's too late. At least there's a little dark humor to be found in Beloved.
I think Denver's blindness and innocence--a girl who has had very few character-building experiences out in the real world, and chooses to block out the few she has had--is even more fascinating because it is juxtaposed with Sethe's totally different frame of mind. Sethe has had all too many hard experiences in the real world and constantly remembers them with great pain, which may be why she has sheltered Denver so much.
ReplyDeleteYour description of Denver as like a twelve-year-old makes sense, and we could similarly say that, in these earlier sections, Beloved acts like a toddler. There's a sense of arrested development in these younger characters who represent the first generation after slavery--Denver's immaturity reflects the fact that she really hasn't been part of the world in any meaningful way for all these years, since her ill-fated effort to enroll herself in school. This dynamic sets up Denver's "coming of age" in part 3, where she ventures out into the world and starts to integrate herself into society.
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