While reading Beloved I noticed many things about the family that may have not been that noticable in The Bean Trees. Beloved seems to show how competition can and does exist in a family and within its members. I first noticed this when Denver would refer to the ghost as her sister, rather than a ghost she never knew. Another instance is when Paul D asked Sethe for his exceptance as a family member; Paul D asked her to not give all her love and affection to Denver, but to share it with him. I found those to be only a few examples of the competition that exists in families. Beloved reveals this family situation well through its characters and events.