The novel Beloved is not a book just about slavery. It is primarily about one's past affecting and influencing the present and possibly the future if it is not dealt with. If one does not make peace with one's past and the decisions that were made then one cannot heal, there can be no hope. The characters;Denver and Sethe were hindered by the past, towards the end, Denver made a decision to help herself and her mother. There is always hope if we faint not.