Despite the claim that "this is not a story to pass on," storytelling and imagination play crucial roles in the novel. For Denver, her imagination is her only shield against isolation, as it "produced its own hunger and its own food." In contrast, Sethe experiences "deprivation" because she lacks her own dreams. Her mind is "loaded with the past and [is] hungry for more," leaving her with "no room to imagine, let alone plan for, the next day." For Beloved, listening to Sethe's stories becomes a way to "feed her," providing "profound satisfaction" and allowing Sethe to express pains she had never voiced before. When the secluded Denver shares stories with Beloved, she fills them with "more life than life had." These stories are Denver's way of trying to keep Beloved close, "trying to construct out of the strings she had heard all her life a net to hold Beloved." Sharing stories creates a bond between both the listener and the teller, transforming "the monologue became, in fact, a duet." This storytelling helps Sethe begin her healing process and brings her closer to a fresh start with Paul D. As he envisions "some kind of tomorrow" with Sethe, Paul D. acknowledges "he wants to put his story next to hers."