The range of opportunities for engaging discussions about Beloved is virtually limitless. Some of the most compelling topics include the tone, or the attitudes toward the characters and situations suggested by the language and detail arrangement. Is Beloved a ghost or a daughter returned to life? Is her desire to take over Sethe's life depicted as a horrifying or an inevitable result of Sethe ending her life? Can their relationship be seen as beneficial or harmful to Sethe's healing process? Is Sethe on the road to recovery by the novel's conclusion?

Beyond these questions, groups might delve into these specific areas of inquiry:

1. Why does Morrison portray the Garners, who owned Sweet Home, as well-meaning individuals ("nice Nazis") participating in an immoral practice, instead of as deceitful, cruel villains like Simon Legree in Uncle Tom's Cabin?

2. In the miraculous account of Denver's birth, how should we interpret Amy Denver's help? Is she a "good Samaritan," and does her wish to flee to Boston mirror the slaves' aspiration to reach Ohio?

3. Was Stamp Paid justified in feeling obligated to inform Paul D about Sethe's past?

4. What perspectives on Beloved and her story are conveyed in the final chapter? How do these perspectives encapsulate the meanings of her story? Why does the narrator repeat three times that the story we’ve just read is "not a story to pass on"?

5. Is Baby Suggs's message of self-love for the former slaves an implicit critique of Christianity's role, with its focus on patient endurance and heavenly rewards, in supporting the institution of slavery?