QWhy did Denver suddenly burst into tears shortly after meeting Paul D?
AShe was tired of being ignored and socially outcast from the rest of the world, and seeing Paul D and her mother together only reminded her that she had no one else in the world that belonged to her. After Sethe attempted to murder her children and her daughter's ghost inhabited the house, no one ever visited 124 again. Later, when her brothers, Howard and Buglar, ran away, she remained in the house for more than seven years, never even venturing out of her own front yard.
QWhy did it take so long for Sethe to realize who Beloved really was?
ABecause of Paul D's presence. Every time Sethe was given a clue as to Beloved's identity, she was too preoccupied with Paul D to fully realize the intent of Beloved's knowledge about her. Later, after Paul D leaves, Sethe realizes that she knew who Beloved really was all along.
QWhy did Sethe try to kill all of her children?
AShe tried to kill them in order to save them from being dragged back to Sweet Home and subjected to the horrors of slavery. Sethe's love for her children ran so deep, that she would have rather seen them dead than be forced to watch them suffer and endure what Sethe herself went through. As she later explains to Paul D, "I would rather know they're at peace in Heaven than living a hell here on Earth!" However, she only succeeded in killing Beloved, and the rest of her children survived her assaults.
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