There are many different views over who or what Beloved is. Some think that she is Sethe's repressed memories or 'rememories' which she has to face and deal with. Others are of the opinion that Beloved's identity is straightforward- that she is simply Sethe's murdered child who has returned to haunt her.

There is a great deal of evidence throughout the novel that Beloved is a way through which Sethe can exorcise her demons, and realise her identity. The part when Sethe first begins to really be affected by the memories that she has tried to forget and block out, is when Paul D arrives. He reminds her of her past, but it is Beloved's arrival that really makes her have to delve into her mind and her repressed memories.

Sethe murdered her baby to save it from slavery because she thought it would be better for her...