To Be Loved: Amy Denver and Human Need--Bridges to Understanding in Toni Morrison's Beloved

The essay posits that another "Beloved" exists in Morrison's novel of the same name: besides the title character of the murdered "crawling already?" baby who returns as a ghost, is Amy Denver, the white, runaway, indentured servant who functions as both foil and bridge. As a prophetic healer, Amy saves Sethe and her baby, Denver, from certain death. Examining Morrison's use of language where one word often functions as both noun and verb (e.g. "rememory"), "Amy" becomes worthy of deeper scrutiny given the striking fact that etymologically the name, from the Latin amatus, literally means "beloved." Intersecting the critical heritage of the novel, this study offers that Amy Denver is not a minor character, but, rather, an important presence integral to the very existence of the tale through which the reader learns that love is colorblind. A hopeful text, Beloved underscores Morrison's desire to bridge the gulf of racism.