In Toni Morison's novel Beloved, the character of Denver exemplifies the Sterne quotation above. She is drawn to Beloved but is also fiercely loyal to her mother whom Beloved is steadily devouring. Denver is divided between the love she have for her mother and the need for love she seeks from Beloved. Because Beloved is causing both mental and physical harm to Sethe, the forces dividing Denver are pulling in opposite directions. It is there 'contrary direction' that is tearing Denver's mind apart; she cannot have one without losing the other. Love is immeasurable; it cannot be quantified or even rationalized in this case and therefore Denver's love for her mother and her need for love from Beloved are 'two projects of equal strength'.

Beloved's appearance offers Denver another source of attention and love. Denver feels as though Paul has stolen her mother from her and hence all of her mother's love. Though Denver has very strong feelings towards Beloved their bond is nowhere near that of the one she shared with Sethe. Denver's resentment of Paul D. and Sethe's relationship causes her to redirect her attention and efforts to Beloved. In some respects, Denver's inability to separate herself from Sethe means Paul has not only 'taken' her mother from her, he has also taken a part of Denver. So she seeks to fill the void with love from Beloved who cares about no one but Sethe. Despite her anger and loneliness it's quite obvious that Denver loves her mother very deeply. In the clearing as Beloved begins to strangle Sethe, Denver runs to help her mother and later accuses Beloved of hurting her. The final proof comes at the end after Denver has realized she is her own person, she tells her story in a plea for help to drive Belo

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Approximate Word count = 673
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)