Character Analysis

The Name

Amy Denver may seem like a totally random minor character, but as you can probably guess, nothing in Beloved is random.

First, that last name. Why "Denver"? Maybe Morrison is making a reference to James Denver, who—among other things—was a general for the Union in the Civil War; a governor of Kansas when it voted to be slave territory; anda guy who had a city named after him. Yep, that Denver, which, like many places in the country, was torn over slavery (even though Colorado was supposed to be pro-Union).

If you think about it, Amy, a white girl in a slave state who helps Sethe during her escape, is a little like Denver, the man and the city—full of contradictions.