Beloved #2

"124 was spiteful"
The introduction of the book was very interesting. The house is described as spiteful, or angry before the reader even knows what the house has to be angry or spiteful about. Later, the reader finds out that Beloved is angry about her mother abandoning her, and haunts the house out of spite for her murder. Denver is also upset with her grandmother for dying and leaving her with her mother whom she is even more upset with. Early on in the book Denver shows her spite for her mother and blames her for the neighborhood shunning them "it's not the house. It's us! and it's you!" (17) Denver becomes even more upset when Paul D comes to stay with them at 124 because she feels even more excluded, her only friends were her mother and her ghost which Paul D takes away from her. After Paul D tells the ghost to go away, Denver goes outside to eat her biscuit and jam - alone. Throughout the book Denver struggles with spite for her mother fueled by her feeling of abandonment. She continues to be upset with Paul D for staying there because it takes away the attention she gets from her mother, and eventually starts a fight between the two of them out of spite for their friendship. However, Paul D starts taking his "family" out into the community and to the carnival one night which excites Denver. Denver becomes even more excited when her sister Beloved becomes reincarnated in a body and begins living with them, she feels like she finally has a friend - and her sister back. 124 finally has the potential to make everyone happy. Beloved is back, Denver has a friend, Sethe is a loving mother again, However, Beloved's stay begins to anger Paul D because he feels that her staying there is ruining his plans at making 124 his family home. Sethe feels overprotective of Beloved and becomes angry with Paul D for treating her the way he does. Throughout this book anger is a reoccurring theme, the family is never content because "124 was spiteful."