Denver and Beloved's Sisterhood

Traces the intense, shifting bond between Denver and Beloved from first nursing to secret games and final betrayal.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Rescued Sister

The Rescued Sister A Patient of Her Own Beloved's arrival gives Denver something she has never had: someone to protect and possess. She nurses Beloved obsessively, hiding her incontinence, feeding her sugar, and watching her sleep. The Secret Pleasure Denver is jealous of her mother's involvement. She wants Beloved entirely for herself, and she washes the sheets secretly to keep their bond hidden. The New Company For the first time since her brothers left, Denver has a companion in the house. The ghost that once kept her company is replaced by a living sister.

Dancing and Confessions

Dancing and Confessions The Dance in the Room After Beloved's near choking, Denver asks her to share her room. They dance round and round the tiny room, laughing, and Denver feels cold and light as a snowflake. The play is innocent and intense. The Secret Name Beloved tells Denver that in the dark her name is Beloved. She speaks of being small in a dark place, of the bridge, of waiting to see Sethe's face. Denver recognizes the language of the ghost. The First Warning Denver asks her not to tell Sethe who she is, and Beloved snaps, "Don't never tell me what to do." The sisterhood already carries the seeds of domination.

The Loved and the Left

The Loved and the Left The Penny in the Palm Beloved's few glances at Denver sustain her. Denver feels she is being pulled into view by interested, uncritical eyes, and her skin dissolves under that gaze. It is the first time she has been truly seen. The Greedy Hunger But Beloved's true hunger is for Sethe. The more Denver gives, the more she loses. Beloved prefers Sethe's stories, Sethe's hands, Sethe's face. Denver becomes the servant, the watcher. The Strategy of Love Denver plots to keep Beloved near by doing chores, telling stories, feeding her sugar. Love turns into strategy, and the sisterhood becomes a heartbreaking game of keeping the beloved from leaving.

The Cold House Disappearance

The Cold House Disappearance The Game of Hide and Seek Denver and Beloved go to the cold house to get cider. Beloved vanishes in the dark, and Denver is filled with an unbearable loss. She cries because she has no self—her identity is entirely wrapped in Beloved. The Return and the Threat Beloved reappears and says, "I don't want that place. This the place I am." Denver clings to her skirt, feeling the thickness of her own dissolving. The moment shows how much Denver's survival depends on Beloved. The Secret of the Pallet Denver sees Paul D's pallet and knows, though she will not tell, what Beloved has done in the cold house. She is bound to Beloved by both love and secrecy.

The Letting Go

The Letting Go Choosing Life When Beloved disappears, Denver does not follow her. She has already begun to build a life outside the yard: work at the Bodwins', Lady Jones's teachings, and the hope of Oberlin. The sisterhood releases her. A Sister She Will Never Forget Denver will remember Beloved as the one who loved her and the one who almost destroyed her. She now knows both the ecstasy and the danger of being looked at. The Self She Found The final achievement of Denver's arc is not winning Beloved but losing her. The loss forces Denver to become a person in her own right, one who can stand in the world without the beloved gaze.

the first days of Beloved's illness

the night Beloved chokes on a raisin

as Beloved increasingly focuses on Sethe

one winter afternoon in the cold house

the day of the exorcism