Denver's longing for a sister....

Are the characters struggling with any internal conflicts? Can this explain why they make certain decisions or subconscious choices?

Beloved is filled with many complex, unique characters that have a lot going on in their mind. One of the most most prominent characters, Denver, must deal with major interior conflicts like finding support and purpose for herself.

Denver is the only child left in her family. Her brothers ran away and she was left by herself with her mother, Sethe. Denver and her mother are also excluded from the community because of Sethe’s past. Because of their exclusion from the community Denver must find companionship from Beloved, the baby ghost. Denver has never had any real friends and finds happiness in having the ghost. When Paul D scares the ghost away, it left “Denver’s world flat” she was once again lonely.  Denver is struggling to find support and feels alone. Sethe has been unstable for the majority of Denver’s life and Denver has felt excluded yet trapped by the world around her. It isn’t until Beloved is reincarnated when Denver begins to feel support again.

“Four days she slept, waking and sitting up only for water. Denver tended her, watched her sound sleep, listened to her labored breathing and, out of love and a breakneck possessiveness that charged her, hid like a personal blemish Beloved's incontinence. She rinsed the sheets secretly, after Sethe went to the restaurant and Paul D went scrounging for barges to help unload. She boiled the underwear and soaked it in bluing, praying the fever would pass without damage” (64).

When Beloved arrived Denver took it as her mission to take care of Beloved. Subconsciously, Denver felt obligated to take care of Beloved because she felt like her own mother never really took care of her. Sethe was very unstable when raising Denver, thus making Sethe struggle to be a good mother. Denver compensates for this by taking tending to Beloved. Denver “watched her sound sleep, listened to her labored breathing”. The act of listening to someone sleep is an action typically taken on by a mother. Sleeping is a very intimate moment where the person sleeping is very weak position. By taking care of Beloved in that state and listening to her “labored breathing”. Denver is taking a moment to take care of Beloved while she is in that weak state. Denver “rinsed sheets” and “boiled underwear” for Beloved. Doing some one’s laundry is not an easy task, especially back in the late 1800s. Washing Beloved’s underwear also shows how much Denver is dedicated to Beloved. Underwear is a very intimate piece of clothing and by washing them for Beloved, Denver is showing she feels a special connection with Beloved. Beloved is a complete stranger to Denver but she still felt a motherly obligation to take care of Beloved because of her weak state.

Denver puts all her energy into helping Beloved because she wants to take care of someone to fulfil her internal hole that Sethe left her. Denver wants to feel useful and overall wants a friend. Denver has lived her entire life by herself and desperately wants companionship. Denver sees Beloved as her friend and wants to take care of her. Denver also sees Beloved as a daughter. Beloved acts like a child and Denver wants to be close to her unlike how she feels about how her mom wants to be with her. Eventually when Beloved fully heals, Denver learns that Beloved only came back for Sethe and once again feels abandoned.