Denver, Sethe’s (living) daughter is at first delighted that she no longer has to be alone, but as Beloved becomes increasingly obsessed with Sethe, Denver grows concerned for her mother’s safety. As Beloved becomes more and more attached to Sethe, she begins to consume Sethe’s life, devouring her stories and attention while growing larger and larger. At the same time, Sethe wastes away, becoming frail and decrepit, constantly devoted to convincing her long lost daughter that she killed her not in an episode of animalistic barbarity, but rather a moment of intense caring. Beloved takes advantage of Sethe’s need to dispel her own doubt that she is no better than an animal by refusing her apologies and refuting her justification. Through these actions, Beloved becomes a literary vampire, extricating the life force and Sethe consuming it in the entirely selfish interest of revenge. In actuality, Beloved, as a result of her merciless manipulation of Sethe, is the one who crosses the line between man and beast, highlighting the vindictiveness of death and the tendency of tough decisions to pry at one’s conscious until they are put to
Denver, Sethe’s (living) daughter is at first delighted that she no longer has to be alone, but as Beloved becomes increasingly obsessed with Sethe, Denver grows concerned for her mother’s safety. As Beloved becomes more and more attached to Sethe, she begins to consume Sethe’s life, devouring her stories and attention while growing larger and larger. At the same time, Sethe wastes away, becoming frail and decrepit, constantly devoted to convincing her long lost daughter that she killed her not in an episode of animalistic barbarity, but rather a moment of intense caring. Beloved takes advantage of Sethe’s need to dispel her own doubt that she is no better than an animal by refusing her apologies and refuting her justification. Through these actions, Beloved becomes a literary vampire, extricating the life force and Sethe consuming it in the entirely selfish interest of revenge. In actuality, Beloved, as a result of her merciless manipulation of Sethe, is the one who crosses the line between man and beast, highlighting the vindictiveness of death and the tendency of tough decisions to pry at one’s conscious until they are put to