Before I help you think about the relationship between Paul D and Denver up till chapter five, I think I should go over who Paul D and Denver are. Remember, Paul D was a slave at the Sweet Home plantation with Sethe. As for Denver, she’s Sethe’s daughter.

It’s also important to remember that 124—Sethe and Denver’s home—seems to be haunted by a baby ghost. The eerie spirit doesn’t bother Denver. In fact, she likes it. She’s quite intrigued by its presence and the future it might bring. As Denver tells her mom, “I think the baby got plans.”

The baby’s hypothetical agenda is torpedoed by the arrival of Paul D. You could say Paul D’s mere presence drives Denver and him apart. Although, it might seem odd to say that because they never had the chance to get close in the first place.

Denver starts out disliking him. According to Denver, Paul D’s “loud male voice” deprived “124 of its claim to local fame.” In other words, the arrival of Paul D marks the decline of the baby ghost. The baby ghost’s retreat leaves “Denver’s world flat.”

Yet by the end of chapter four, you could contend Paul D and Denver are brought together by the carnival. Denver didn’t think Paul D would be able to get her to like him. Right before the carnival, she thinks: “Go ’head. Try and make me happy.”

Paul D does make her happy, of course. He buys her licorice, lemonade, and peppermint. Denver feels “soothed by sugar.” Near the end, she’s “swaying with delight.” If Paul D and Denver are any example, it seems like buying a person sugary foods and drinks is a great way to become closer with them.