Sethe- a former slave who escaped from Sweet Home many years before the story begins, but cannot escape her past. She is independent and proud, and believes the best part of herself is her children. She has been abused as a slave for most of her life, especially by the schoolteacher who used her to teach his nephews the animalistic qualities of African Americans.
Denver- the youngest daughter of Sethe, born during her escape from Sweet Home. She is eighteen years old and has only been away from 124 Bluestone Road twice in her life. She's very intelligent, but is emotionally very young because of having never left home all her life. She's shy, and despises Paul D. because he intrudes on her life with her mother and chases away the ghost of her baby sister, feeling excluded. Finally after Paul D. She is obsessed with Beloved, until Beloved begins to take over everything in the household and Denver is forced to leave 124 to seek help from the community to get rid of Beloved.
Paul D- another former slave from Sweet Home, who becomes Sethe's lover upon arriving at 124. He is constantly repressing memories of the brutality he suffered at Sweet Home, but at the same time helping others open their hearts and confide in him. He is convinced that the only way to survive is not to be too attached to anything. As soon as he arrived he drove the ghost out of 124, and both Denver and Beloved are extremely jealous of him. Being with Sethe allows Paul D. to come to terms with what had happened in his life, but he continues to doubt his manhood and value as a person.
Beloved- her true identity is never clearly stated. She could be another former slave who had been locked up and abused by her master, the embodied spirit of the daughter Sethe had murdered, or the ghost of Sethe's mother. She is the age Sethe's daughter would have been had she lived, calls herself by the name on the dead baby's gravestone, has a scar where the death-wound would have been, and knows a song Sethe made up just for her children. She becomes a parasitic presence in Sethe's home, driving out Paul D. and pushing Sethe nearly into death with her increasing demands. At the same time, her presence forces Sethe, Paul D., and Denver to grow emotionally and move past the barriers they had placed around themselves in their lives. Even though she vanishes at the end of the story, the influence the memory of her had on the community continued to change the lives of the inhabitants of 124.
Baby Suggs- the mother of Sethe's husband, Halle. 124 was her house, and was passed on to Sethe after Baby Suggs died. She held religious gatherings in The Clearing until the the murder of Sethe's child, when she retreated to her bed and stayed there until death. She has been dead for several years before the beginning of the story, and it is out of respect to Baby Suggs that many of the people of the community finally help Sethe get rid of Beloved.
Stamp Paid- an agent of the Underground Railroad who helped Sethe to freedom and saved Denver from facing the same fate as her sister. A sacrifice he made during his own escape from slavery makes him believe that his moral debts were paid of for the rest of his life, which is why he chose the name "Stamp Paid". He helps out everyone in town, and there is nowhere he is not welcome. Stamp Paid is angered by the fact that no one offers to help Sethe, Denver, and Paul D, and realizes that he might still owe something to the residents of 124. He was very close to Baby Suggs before her death and regrets being so harsh to her for her choices, and realizes he should have been helping her, and not accusing her of neglecting everything when she took to her bed.
Schoolteacher- the man that took over Sweet Home following the death of Mr. Garner. He is cold, heartless, and extremely racist. He said Mr. Garner had been too soft on his slaves and treated them more like men than the animals they were. The schoolteacher had strict rules and punishments, and uses the slaves for "scientific" studies, including asking questions, measuring them, and teaching his pupils about the animalistic qualities of his slaves. They mean nothing to him but he enjoys having power and control over things.
Halle- Sethe's husband and the son of Baby Suggs. He goes mad after witnessing the nephews of the schoolteacher violating Sethe and disappears the night that he, Sethe, and the others were supposed to escape into freedom. Sethe eventually leaves without him, always wondering what had happened to him and whether he was still alive.
Howard and Buglar- Sethe's sons. Both ran away before the start of the story, driven of by the ghost of their sister that haunted 124.
Lady Jones- a light skinned black woman with blond hair, who is convinced that everyone hates her because she is mixed. She teaches many underprivileged children from Cincinnati in her home, including Denver for a short while. She doesn't truly believe Denver when she says that 124 is haunted, but she convinced the community to help her anyway by sending food to her, Sethe, and Beloved.
Ella- worked the Underground Railroad with Stamp Paid. She eventually organizes the women of her community to exorcise Beloved from 124.
Mr. and Mrs. Garner- the owners of Sweet Home until the death of Mr. Garner, when the schoolteacher took over. They treated the slaves better than schoolteacher, but their condescension was just as bad as the schoolteachers blatant racism.
Mr. and Miss Bodwin- brother and sister abolitionists who helped Baby Suggs find work and gave her a home when she arrived in Cincinnati. They also were at the head of the campaign to earn Sethe her freedom when she was taken to jail. They are still somewhat condescending, but are motivated by good intentions.
Amy Denver- a young white girl Sethe meets during her escape to the North. She helps Sethe when she finds her ill, and tells Sethe the whip marks on her back resemble a tree. She also helps Sethe deliver her baby, whom Sethe then named Denver after her.
Paul A, Paul F, and Sixo- other slaves at Sweet Home. Paul A. and Paul F. are Paul D's brothers. Sixo and Paul A. die during their escape from Sweet Home.