Beloved - Toni Morrison

“No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time.” ~ Lawrence Sterne

In Toni Morison’s novel Beloved, the character of Denver exemplifies the Sterne quotation above. She is drawn to Beloved but is also fiercely loyal to her mother whom Beloved is steadily devouring. Denver is divided between the love she have for her mother and the need for love she seeks from Beloved. Because Beloved is causing both mental and physical harm to Sethe, the forces dividing Denver are pulling in opposite directions. It is there ‘contrary direction’ that is tearing Denver’s mind apart; she cannot have one without losing the other. Love is immeasurable; it cannot be quantified or even rationalized in this case and therefore Denver’s love for her mother and her need for love from Beloved are ‘two projects of equal strength’.

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as well as the anger towards her mother that drives her to seek love from Beloved. Since leaving Sweet Home, Sethe has separated herself and her daughter (as a pair) from the outside world, as has Denver, but not because she sees herself as an individual.

Beloved’s appearance offers Denver another source of attention and love. Their bond is strongest because since she was born, Denver has shared her mother’s life.

The relationships and bonds of love between Denver, Sethe, and Beloved may appear unbalanced but the equality of their strength is what leaves Denver being ‘torn asunder’ for so long. She lived in the filthy cell, the haunted homestead of 124, and experienced every setback and ugly reality with Sethe as an equal. To Denver her mother’s view is her view, the idea of having her own opinion of the world does not occur to her until the last few chapters of the novel. So she seeks to fill the void with love from Beloved who cares about no one but Sethe. Denver feels as though Paul has stolen her mother from her and hence all of her mother’s love. he have never been separated; the rift between them is not measured in distance but emotion. This shows that until then Denver cannot realize her individualism. The length of her indecision and the deep isolation she felt are evidence of her intense psychological pain. In some respects, Denver’s inability to separate herself from Sethe means Paul has not only ‘taken’ her mother from her, he has also taken a part of Denver.

Approximate Word count = 673
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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