In Toni Morrison's Beloved, Denver is introduced to us as somewhat of a simple child, unnaturally reliant on her mother and unusually immature for a girl of eighteen years. Nevertheless, as the novel progresses, she undergoes a great amount of learning and personal growth. However, Denver's procurement of knowledge is not attained through her experiences with formal education at Lady Jones' school, rather, Denver learns through life's challenges. It is Denver's eventual entrance into the world of knowledge and maturity that saves Sethe's life and rids 124 of Beloved's vengeful spirit. .

             Denver's initial experiences with the conventional education of Lady Jones' school are very positive. She finds herself intrigued by learning and looks forward to the two hours she spends every afternoon with Lady Jones. However, Denver extracts more from schooling than just book knowledge. She begins to realize that she can be independent from Sethe and looks forward to school because she does everything "on her own and [she] was pleased and surprised by the pleasure and surprise it created in her mother and her brothers" (102). This newfound learning is something that Denver can cherish as her own, thus acting as the impetus of Denver's self-confidence. .

             However, Denver's love for learning does not last long. Although in the beginning, "she was so happy she didn't even know she was being avoided by her classmates," (102) her oblivion does not last forever. Denver finds out the truth about Sethe's murderous past, and, as Morrison writes, "she never went back" (102). Her conventional education is swiftly and effectively squelched. Instead of trying to overcome this severe loss in her life, Denver reacts to it by drawing back from the world around her. She is not mature enough to face her troubles and instead she walks "in a silence too solid for penetration" (103), thus extending her loss of an education to a loss of contact with the outside world.