A life. Could be

"They were not holding hands, but their shadows were. Sethe looked to her left and all three of them were gliding over the dust holding hands. Maybe he was right. A Life."

In this particular scene of the book, Sethe, Denver, and Paul D are walking through the carnival exploring the outdoors and life outside of 124, something that they have not done in a very long time. Through Sethe's eyes this is such a fun and invigorating experience. She sees Paul D interacting with everyone, making the crowds laugh, and living through his absurd experiences, smiling nonetheless. In this instance we see Paul D acting through the Black Feminist Existential component of "exposing the oppressor". He's being happy and living his life in opposition of the many attempts of whites to suppress that want and human need.

Later on in the story, Paul D and Sethe have an argument because of Denver's asking him when he would be leaving. This conversation goes awry and is a conversation that is often had in Black homes as the absence of biological fathers and lovers often bring the presence of another man, who serves as lover to the mother but misplaces the child. This situation reminded me of my own life experience in which my mother entertained suitors and even my own father and I felt misplaced. We had lived as "just us" for so long and the presence of any man into our dynamic was not a pleasant one for me. In black women's trying to reinstate their womanhood after the seeming "staples" of situations happens to them (having children out of wedlock, becoming "babymothers", implementing Other Mothering in their eldest children) the transition and "snatching" of authority from their girl children is a difficult and sometimes impossible transition.