-
Cincinatti, Ohio
An ex-slave, Sethe, and her daughter, Denver, are living at 124 Bluestone Road. The ghost of Sethe’s diseased firstborn daughter haunts the house. 8 years ago, Sethe’s mother-in-law, Baby Suggs, died. Sethe explains a lot about how she tries to remember little as possible about her past. The ghost of Sethe’s dead baby also gets angry and disturbs Paul D. with frightening spiritual tactics. -
Period: to
Main Events of Beloved
-
Paul D. Arrives
Paul D., one of Sethe’s fellow slaves, arrives at her house. Sethe digresses to recall that neither she nor Paul D. know what happened to her husband, Halle. Denver gets upset that her mother is flirting with another man. -
Beloved Arrives
Beloved arrives at Sethe's home and after drinking a glass of water sleeps for 4 days straight. Something doesn't seem right about her... -
Beloved Becomes Part of the Family
Beloved becomes attached to Sethe and strangely forces a lot of Sethe's harsh past to be revealed. -
Paul D. Reveals Halle's Fate
Paul D. explains to Sethe why her husband, Halle, never returned to her. It is a hard story for Sethe to hear, and upsets her. -
What is Beloved?
Clues are revealed that Beloved may or may not be the reincarnant of Sethe's deceased child. -
Sethe and Her Babies
Paul. D. asks Sethe to have children with him. Sethe agrees at first, but changes her mind because she is still haunted by the fact that she killed her own daughter. She killed her daughter (the ghost) because she wanted to free her from a life of slavery. -
Paul D. Leaves
Paul D. leaves 124 because of the strange influence and presence of Beloved. He also confronts Sethe about her killing her own child. -
Paul D. Explains Feelings
As time goes on, the novel switches to Paul D.’s situation. He is alone, sleeping in a church. He is full of despair and says that Beloved and Sethe scare him a lot. -
Beloved is an Extreme Force and Denver Takes Action
Beloved is sucking out Sethe’s entire life force. Denver gets scared and decides that Beloved can no longer be around. She takes dramatic action. The ending of this story contrasts to Sethe’s dramatic past in a very interesting way.
