When Paul D comes to 124, he immediately rearranges the
prior familial structure and assumes the typical male role as the head of the
household: “There was no room for any other thing or body until Paul D arrived
and broke up the place, making room, shifting it, moving it to someplace else,
then standing in the place he had made" (47). One might find it peculiar that Sethe allowed him to take this role so promptly considering all the men in her life have left her, but this male absence is actually the very reason she enables him to assume the head position of the family. On page 47, Sethe reminisces on when her two sons left her: "There was a time when she scanned the fields every morning and every evening for her boys." Ever since her sons left her, she has been yearning for a male presence to come back to her, which is why she is so eager to accepts Paul D when he comes from her past and into her present life. She believes that if she is able to move forward and create a family with him, she will be able to move on from the past. On page 51, Morrison writes, "To Sethe, the future was a matter of keeping the past at bay. The "better life" she believed she and Denver were living was simply not that other one. The fact that Paul D had come out of "that other one" into her bed was better too; and the notion of a future with him was beginning to stroke her mind." Throughout the next chapter Sethe continues to think of Paul D as part of the family as she watches their shadows "hold hands". Paul D being part of the family is not only beneficial to Sethe because it is a way to escape the past, but she also sees it as a way to help Denver: "Soothed by sugar, surrounded by a crowd of people who did not find [Denver] the main attraction, who, in fact, said, "Hey, Denver," every now and then, pleased her enough to consider that Paul D wasn't all that bad." As Denver warms up to Paul D at the carnival, Sethe continues to entertain the idea of Paul D being the head of the family because she sees him as a way to bring her family back to normalcy and therefore give Denver more companionship as part of society.
In chapter 5, a strange woman named Beloved comes out of the water and eventually makes it to 124. There is obviously something extremely peculiar about Beloved, but Sethe, Denver, and Paul D do not even make an effort to ask her questions about her background. On page 62, Paul D identifies with Beloved's slow and difficult pronunciation of the letters of her name and relates it to a part of his past, when many people from all different backgrounds would walk together, all with different destinations and issues. On page 63 he describes these crowds as "silent, except for social courtesies, when they met one another they neither described nor asked about the sorrow that drove them from one place to another." Because Paul D understands that everyone deals with different struggles, he decides not to ask Beloved about her past. Sethe's lack of inquiry is for other reasons, however. Sethe does not ask Beloved any questions about her background because she is preoccupied with reminiscing over her daughter: "Sethe was deeply touched by her sweet name; the remembrance of glittering headstone made her feel especially kindly toward her." Because Sethe feels called to be a motherly figure to Beloved, Sethe does not care where Beloved came from, she only cares about nurturing her. Denver does not question Beloved's identity either, and her reasoning varies from Paul D's and Sethe's as well. Denver's upbringing has been very isolated, so she sees Beloved as an opportunity for companionship. Denver immediately takes on the role of Beloved's caretaker because she is desperate to have someone there for her to keep her from being lonely. So even though their reasoning is all different, Paul D's, Sethe's, and Denver's decisions not to question Beloved leaves her identity up in the air.
In chapter 5, a strange woman named Beloved comes out of the water and eventually makes it to 124. There is obviously something extremely peculiar about Beloved, but Sethe, Denver, and Paul D do not even make an effort to ask her questions about her background. On page 62, Paul D identifies with Beloved's slow and difficult pronunciation of the letters of her name and relates it to a part of his past, when many people from all different backgrounds would walk together, all with different destinations and issues. On page 63 he describes these crowds as "silent, except for social courtesies, when they met one another they neither described nor asked about the sorrow that drove them from one place to another." Because Paul D understands that everyone deals with different struggles, he decides not to ask Beloved about her past. Sethe's lack of inquiry is for other reasons, however. Sethe does not ask Beloved any questions about her background because she is preoccupied with reminiscing over her daughter: "Sethe was deeply touched by her sweet name; the remembrance of glittering headstone made her feel especially kindly toward her." Because Sethe feels called to be a motherly figure to Beloved, Sethe does not care where Beloved came from, she only cares about nurturing her. Denver does not question Beloved's identity either, and her reasoning varies from Paul D's and Sethe's as well. Denver's upbringing has been very isolated, so she sees Beloved as an opportunity for companionship. Denver immediately takes on the role of Beloved's caretaker because she is desperate to have someone there for her to keep her from being lonely. So even though their reasoning is all different, Paul D's, Sethe's, and Denver's decisions not to question Beloved leaves her identity up in the air.
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