Antony KamelAfrican American LiteratureMr. CaulfieldMarch 25, 2014TitleKatherine Ann Porter, a short story writer once said, "The past is never where you think you left it." In the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison, Morrison describes a family's journey and how their past affects their entire lives. In Beloved, Toni Morrison ultimately depicts the lifelong effects of slavery and how it affects each character individually. Its main message is that slavery changes a person forever. Paul D is tarnished physically and emotionally. Sethe can't make peace with her past because it was such a brutal experience. Beloved is a living reminder of the repercussions of slavery. Denver has never experienced slavery and thus is the only character with an earthly connection. Slavery breaks the person of Paul D; it changes him both physically and emotionally. When Paul D and Sethe discuss their past, the narrator says, “Paul D had only begun, what he was telling her was only the beginning when her fingers on his knee, soft and reassuring, stopped him. It's better that way. It's better that way. Saying more could push them both to a point from which they can't come back. He would keep the rest where it belonged: in that tobacco box buried in his chest where a red heart once was. The lid had rusted. He wouldn't loosen it now in front of that sweet, sturdy woman, because if he smelled the contents he would be ashamed. And it would have hurt her to know that there was no heart as bright red as the Mister's comb beating in him” (86). Paul D begins to remember his painful past, but is afraid that if he and Sethe talk too much they will begin to uncover an emotional past. Paul D tries to avoid talking about his past at all costs and they both have cop ways...... middle of paper...... plus the force of slavery. Denver is affected by slavery differently. Every other character, due to slavery, is unable to become a contributing member of the word. Denver is the only one capable of having a connection to the world. Sethe loses her mind and Paul D is so caught up in his past that he can't appreciate the present. Denver is the only character who develops his own opinions and beliefs. When she leaves 124 to seek a different life, she finds a new sense of individuality in herself. Denver is able to move on with her life because she has never experienced slavery firsthand. Morrison uses Denver as a way to draw a contrast between someone who experienced slavery and someone who did not experience it. Paul D and Sethe are shy and unable to move forward, while Denver makes a name for herself and becomes an independent person.