In the novel, Sethe's child, Beloved, who was murdered by the hands of her mother, haunts her. For example, Sethe, Denver, and Paul D go to the neighborhood carnival, which happens to be Sethe's first social outing since killing her daughter. When they return home, that is when Beloved appears at the house. Throughout the novel, Sethe believes that the person claiming to be “Beloved” is her daughter that she killed 18 years prior - a scenario which shows how family relationships are used to display the mental strife the protagonist faces.