Beloved

What makes some succeed while others fail?

Sethe believes she is finding solace and comfort away from Paul D in the discovery of the ghost of her daughter, Beloved. It is, however, in Beloved that Sethe finds her potential downfall. She is overtaken, overworked, overpowered by this girl, entirely helpless. Her past is haunting her no longer figuratively and in her memories, but directly through the torments of Beloved. It is not until Denver makes this realization and seeks outside help that Sethe is saved. Denver has never left the comforts of her own home, and so she breaks through her personal barrier in order to save another. Once through the physical barrier of her yard, she breaks through the barrier of community and asks for help. It is the assembly of women at 124 that eventually "banish" Beloved forever. Sethe succeeds only because others tried for her. Denver put her mother, who she formerly found annoying, in front of her own interests, and found something much more rewarding. Selflessness seems to be the key in this book.