I think that Beloved can be interpreted as a drawn out coming-of-age novel for Denver. In the beginning of the book, Denver had never gone outside alone and once Beloved arrived, she basically just followed her around like a child. Denver is dependant on Sethe and spends much of her life cooped up in 124. Denver also becomes obsessed with Beloved, and starts to rely on her much more than normal. She becomes obsessed with Beloved’s attention so much that it is all she thinks about:
Denver is a strategist now and has to keep Beloved by her side from the minute Sethe leaves for work until the hour of her return when Beloved begins to hover at the window, then work her way out the door, down the steps and near the road. … Otherwise Beloved gets private and dreamy, or quiet and sullen, and Denver’s chances of being looked at by her go down to nothing. (142-143).
Denver remains a static character for most of the novel until she is forced out of her shell when Beloved and Sethe start to clash. Denver is unable to continue her childlike habits because both of the figures she used to follow basically ignore her. When she decides to go out to get help, she literally leaves 124 for the first time alone, which is a very symbolic scene that shows Denver becoming an independent woman. At this point in the novel, her submissive role swaps with Sethe as she becomes Sethe’s caretaker. When Paul D comes back, he sees Denver as a woman who is in charge, which further proves her development. I think that this change in Denver’s character can easily be categorized as a coming of age. She starts out as a very submissive, childlike character and ends up being the one saving and taking care of her mother.
Denver’s coming of age may not be the most important theme in Beloved, but I think that it is an important sub-plot that becomes especially important at the end when Denver becomes the character to save Sethe and produce the “happy ending” that we talked about in class.
This is a good point. It definitely seems like Denver grows as a person and learns life skills. She starts out staying at home and hating all newcomers but by the end she has ambitions that lead her away from home. I think that Denver's story arc is just as important because her growth ends up saving her mother.
ReplyDeleteI think it's worth noting Denver's change of heart regarding her feelings towards her mother. From the beginning we see Denver befriending Beloved and thinking her sister is her only company, as well as blame her mother for killing her sister and driving away her brothers. Her initial goal when Beloved arrived was to protect Beloved from Sethe, but then when Beloved started to take over and was sucking the life out of Sethe, Denver found herself switching sides to protect Sethe from Beloved. I think this is the same revelation the reader is supposed to have towards Sethe when we learn about the Misery.
ReplyDeleteIn a novel that is so concerned with the past determining the present, and a present that seems unable to move forward because the past keeps invading it, I would say that Denver's coming-of-age plot is definitely a significant aspect: it represents something like hope for the future, or at least the possibility of moving on from trauma to "make a life," as Paul D puts it earlier. Her "static" development as a character before part 3 is clearly connected to her trauma--she literally doesn't "leave the yard," and has none of the social experiences and rites of passage that attend coming of age. We see her, at the end, poised to enter the world, and as you say, her whole character seems transformed.
ReplyDeleteDenver's flourishing character at the end of the novel is even more pronounced when considered in conjunction with Sethe's deterioration as a character after Beloved's disappearance. Sethe slowly becomes a submissive and passive character in the novel, at will to Beloved's capricious nature and desires. Denver realizes this and understands that if she is to salvage what's left of her family, she is the one who must take action. This is a crucial turning point in the novel, as Sethe terminates her previous infatuation with Beloved and actively assumes responsibility to recover Sethe from Beloved's constricting grasp. While Sethe comes out of Beloved's disappearance with a shattered mental state, Denver is able to mature and progress forwards with her life, as apparent through her amicable relationships with Paul D and Nelson Lord.
ReplyDeleteNice post, I explored this development of Denver in my post as well! I agree that this is another plot intertwined into the overall plot of the book, and i found it to be an interesting addition from Morrison. I feel like Denver's coming of age is closely tied to the idea of rememory, because for the longest time she felt solely defined by her mother's action and wasn't able to construct an identity for herself. Especially because her story seems to have a positive outlook at the end, i think this is another important aspect to the novel in it's own way.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post Hadley. Denver was forced into this situation she didn't want to be a part of - she becomes deaf at one point because she can't bear to hear the truth, she wants to go to school but is apart from the other children - and the part where she leaves the house is definitely an important turning point in her development.
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