American Dream or African-American American Nightmare
The Declaration of Independence was written so Americans could achieve this dream, but the African slave was never intended to be a part of this American Dream. To the African-American, there were and still are many restrictions that go along with the American Dream.
In Toni Morrison's novel, Song of Solomon, Macon Dead craved for the American Dream. He was in denial and believed that he could be just as successful as the white man. Macon desired to own everything, including people. Macon tells Milkman the following:
Let me tell you right now the one important thing you'll ever need to know:
Own things. And let things you own own things. Then you'll
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Witches in black dresses and underskirts; witches with pink eyes and green lips...So when he saw the woman at the top of the stairs there was no way for him to resist climbing up toward her outstretched hands, her fingers spread wide for him, her mouth gaping open for him, her eyes devouring him. In a dream you climb stairs (239).
Was this old woman, Circe, real or part of one of Milkman's dreams/nightmares? Could Macon's grandfather really fly?:
He was flying. He flew. You know, like a bird. Just stood up in the fields one day, ran up some hill, spun around a couple of times, and was lifted up in the air. Went right on back to wherever it was he came from (323).
Was Ruth, Milkman's mother, almost swallowed up by her garden plants as Milkman watched from the kitchen window?:
They were smothering her, taking away her breath with their soft jagged lips. And she merely smiled and fought them off as though they were harmless butterflies (105).
It really does not matter because dreams become reality and vice versa in Milkman's world.
The dream of the women in Song of Solomon was to find a man or husband to take care of them. Ruth thought that by marrying a man with Macon's status, money and ownership of property, she would live the perfect fairytale life. This dream turns into a nightmare as Macon either ignores her or raises a hand to strike her. This unhappy marriage often caused Ruth to dream about
According to the Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776, "[...] all men are created equal, [and] they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." One would then expect that every man, would be entitled to their freedom, and it was true, for all white men. African-Americans, however, faced a very different reality. They were still forced into slavery, they were deprived of those rights that all men were meant to have. While the north states opposed slavery, it was permitted in the south, and as the slavery issue raged on, one man would stand to fight for his freedom. His case, would go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Court's decision would
In the opening chapter of the 1977 novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, the author presents a distant relationship between Macon Dead and his estranged sister, Pilate. Macon is shown staring into the window of his sister’s house, watching Pilate, her daughter Reba, and granddaughter Hagar. By simply observing them from the outside of their house, he demonstrates the complex relationship between himself and the family members he is watching. Morrison conveys this conflicted relationship through his use of setting, musical motif, and symbolism behind “Dead”.
Growing up is a journey, to be specific it 's a journey in a maze. We go around in different directions in hopes to find out who we indeed are. Left to right in every direction we run into things that change our mindset and by the end of the maze, we are entirely different people. Most mazes have doors; open one door new beginning, shut another end of that chapter. Specific events in life alter our young minds, and we tend to grow from these experiences. Personal and social encounters come our way and turn us into adults. Milkman in the novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison goes through various incitements and awakenings that force him to change his ways and enhance his
The American Revolution, which resulted into the creation of The Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson, and several other important individuals would make horrendous contradictions that would create a double standard for African Americans. To this day our society is still plagued, and greatly affected by these double standards.
Macon jr.’s father, Macon Dead sr., began milkman’s curiosity about his family’s history. Macon Dead sr., puts his personal fears on Macon jr., making it harder for him to find his personal identity. Macon Dead sr. became obsessed with money after his father, Jake, was shot and killed for his property. This devastating event from his childhood made him close-fisted, insensitive, and stingy. Macon Dead sr. becomes a money hungry machine, because he does not want to suffer the same fate as his father. Macon Dead sr. does not to tell
People often admire and yearn for the natural state of bliss a child has due to their ignorance of what 's going on around them. Although it is said that ignorance is bliss, but it is not always a good thing. As an adolescent, that bliss works to your advantage, but as a person gets older it only hinders your growth. Most times one does not know that they have remained stagnant until it has become known. In the novel Song of Solomon, by Tori Morrison, Milkman was unaware of his current state until it was made known to him.As a result, he unconsciously came of age through inner and external revelations.
Toni Morrison’s novel, Song of Solomon, encompasses many themes that were prevalent in the other novels written in the same time period. Morrison produced this novel in 1977 just as racial issues and discrimination were at its peaks. “She [Morrison] was the first African American to receive the Noble Prize in Literature.” (Milliman 5) However, the setting of the story is in the 1930s when World War II was taking place. The novel is based on an African-American family residing in Michigan who are victims of racism and social discrimination. The story focuses on Milkman Dead, the main character, who is naïve and leaves his family and friends behind to become an independent, wealthy upperclassman. “Milkman discovers the intricacies of his
Guitar Bains has been Milkman's best friend since they were children. The two share many memories and through them developed a strong bond. As Guitar and
The African American families in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon present abnormality and dysfunction. Normalcy, seen in common nuclear families, is absent. The protagonist, Milkman, is shaped by his dysfunctional relationships with parental figures.
As people grow up, they shape their opinion of themselves as well as their opinion of others around them. These opinions morph over time into self-worth and value. In Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon,” her characters all carry great amounts of influence on one another. Ruth Dead, mother of the protagonist Milkman Dead, lives her life passively and often finds herself at her father’s grave pondering about life. When Milkman approaches her one day about her habits, she responds with a story about his upbringing and her own. Throughout this conversation (p.p.g 124-126) Morrison defines character as being composed of the type of influence one has on others around them. This is explored through Ruth’s changing perspective on her own character as well as the qualities of Pilate and
In the book “A Raisin in the Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, there were characters whose dreams were stated, some of which were shattered by greed and misfortune and others which would eventually come to be true. The first dream that came about was Walter’s dream of one day owning and maintaining a liquor store. He would do anything to attempt to get his dream to come true, but his mama wanted anything but that to happen. His mama had a dream of her own though, she dreamed of one day owning her own house, where her whole family could stay comfortably. She dreamed this because in the apartment that she resided in was too small, and dumpy, as Ruth called it. Her grandson Travis had to sleep on the couch, and all
When someone looks up at a bird they see something soaring through the sky free from the world’s troubles. Through out man’s history they have been trying to find a way to be as free as birds and learn to fly. Unfortunately it has been an unsuccessful feat for man to accomplish. Although man has never really been able to fly on their own, they are able to fly with the help from a little machinery and ingenuity. Macon Dead Jr, or milkman, the nickname he adopted because he nursed from his mother, the protagonist of Song Of Solomon by Toni Morrison, had been trying to fly all of his life. But until he discovers his family’s history and his self-identity he unable to discover the secret that has
Although Milkman lived in the Twentieth-Century and is not physically a slave, he is repressed by his family. Milkman's parents love him; however, Morrison refers to their love as an "anaconda love" as they squeeze the life out of Milkman and leave little room for growth and maturity. Ruth Dead is so possessive of Milkman that she continues to breast-feed him long after he should have been weaned as "his legs [were] dangling almost to the floor" (Morrison 13). When Freddie caught them in the act, Milkman "had been rechristened
In Toni Morrison’s award-winning novel “Song of Solomon,” she fills the novel with deep symbolism. Macon Dead III, nicknamed “Milkman,” is a symbolic character throughout the novel. Not only is he as a character symbolic, but his name is as well. Milkman’s aunt, Pilate, has a significant and symbolic role in the novel. To her father, she represents the child who killed her own mother and took away his wife. In the Bible, Pontius Pilate is the Roman who is responsible for the execution of Jesus. With that information, one can say that the name Pilate seems to coincide with her father, Macon Dead’s, opinion on what Pilate represents. What’s ironic is that Pilate is a good person and is murdered in the end, just as Jesus was by Pontius Pilate. Guitar, Milkman’s best friend, is another significant character in the novel who portrays deep symbolism. Guitar is named after something that he wanted very badly as a child. “I saw it when my mother took me downtown with her. I was just a baby. It was one of those things where you guess how many beans in the glass jar and you win a guitar. I cried for it, they said. And always asked about it.” This unreachable goal describes his character throughout the novel. He is never able to overcome the obstacles that stand
The word racism can be broken down into two things: hate and discrimination. These words bind this world together while they also tear it apart. Some may feel so much hatred that it slowly overpowers their inner thoughts and body. But not all deal with racism this way. Some choose to escape the overwhelming pressure and circumstances, others choose to fight. In the book Song of Solomon written by Torri Morrision, she examines characters that exhibit these characteristics. The choices will always come down to two, you either fight or fly.