maturity is a complex concept, only activated and defined by the experiences that one endures. In other words, as a child, we begin life as naive individuals but as time progresses our lives are influenced by our exposure to significant events, the people that we encounter and the consequences that we learn. Slowly we surpass into higher levels of consciousness that can ultimately represent the stages of maturation. Society attempts to artificially provoke this coming of age using physical time in order to dictate the level of maturity that should be attained by the individual at different stages in their lives. Coming of age is an natural process and will only truly occur when the individual awakens from the unconscious state of candor. The …show more content…
This phrase, although stated in a mocking tone, is of more value than would be recognized with superficial analysis. Pilate is the key to Milkman unlocking his history, thus leading him to self-awareness and his coming of age. Pronounced “pilot”, she represents what her name suggests by being able to fly and aids Milkman’s flight. It is quite ironic that a woman would play such a significant role due to the narrow-minded nature of Milkman. Furthermore, it is quite interesting that another women, Magdalene, his sister, induce the immediate cause of Milkman’s awakening. She provides a rude awakening to Milkman by stating to Milkman “ You are to blame. You are a sad, pitiful, stupid, selfish, hateful man. I hope your little hog’s gut stands you in good stead, and that you take good care of it because you don't have anything else.” (Page 216) In this statement she acknowledges Milkman’s pompous attitude and rejects any notion of his supremacy due to his masculine status. She reprimanded him for all the immature acts he committed in his life and he just remained quiet. This silence, in itself, is the physical manifestation of maturation; by not speaking he was able to reflect in order to conclude that he would accept Magdalene’s advice. At this point, just like the difference between sleep and wake, Part I ends and Part II …show more content…
In Shalimar he encounters a song that, at first glance, seems just a child’s game. Immediately Milkman considers the song a “meaningless rhyme”(page 264), but later he finds out the true significance of the song. In fact, this represents the legacy of Solomon, Milkman's great grandfather. In previous times, Solomon was able to fly and due to this realization Milkman resolves that he can fly too. From this new awareness, he also derives a sense of pride, resulting in his rejection of others’ opinions and societal notions. “Once long ago, he had cared what Pilate and Hagar thought of him… all that was gone.” (Page 293) Milkman was self-fulfilled and that’s all that concerned him. He successfully rejected society dictating that he cannot fly. Finally, when he encountered Guitar, who would surely kill him, Milkman decided to, at last, take life on his own terms. As opposed to being killed, Milkman surrendered to the wind and was able to fly. In both a literal and figurative sense, he soared. No longer was he the naive individual living his life based on others’ terms. Although his name was still Milkman, he had successfully transcended past the child-like mindset that originally ruined him. This is Milkman’s true coming of age and his resultant of
At the beginning Milkman is not very pleasant, he was similar to his father, self-centered and mean. Macon
"Pilate knows... I 'm gonna ask her what my name is."(Morrison 89) This quote is just one demonstration of Milkman unconsciously looking for his inner self-trying to make a connection between how people perceive him and who he really is. It is as if he knew it would be Pilate who would tell him the truth.
The origins of Milkman Dead’s name are based on an anecdote from his childhood, and this name accurately reflects on his rather childish and immature persona. Milkman was given his name because he was breastfed by his mother, Ruth, far past the appropriate age of breastfeeding. At the very beginning of the book, narration paints the story: “...he was old enough to be bored by the flat taste of mother’s milk, so he came reluctantly, as to a chore...and tried to pull the thin, faintly sweet milk from her flesh…” (13, Morrison). This scene reflects on Milkman’s character as he is very childish, immature, and relies on others. Many other characters in the book realize these traits that Milkman has, and some are not afraid to talk about it. At the end of Part I, Lena says, “You’ve been
was also taken into account, which can be interpreted as a way in which she helped Milkman 's
To attain maturity, you must have a loss of innocence. For example, when a kid finds out that Santa Claus is not real, he is disappointed and cannot believe the fact that there is no Santa Claus, because
I believe maturity is not dependent on a person’s age because humans are affected by different situations, are different genders and are raised differently.
Milkman is about to leave his family behind when Macon Jr. informs him of a green bag in Pilate’s home that is full of gold. Milkman and his best friend Guitar Bains go to Pilate’s house to steal the gold so he and his father can become wealthy. Guitar can be described as an extremist and is part of the Seven Days organization. When an African American in the community is murdered, members of the Seven Days retaliate by putting a white person to death the same way the African American was murdered. As Guitar’s grandmother said to him, “A nigger in business is a terrible thing to see. A terrible, terrible thing to see.” (Morrison 22). This was intended towards Milkman’s father and what type of a business man he was; always being selfish and greedy for wealth. This is how Milkman realizes how his race plays a role in society. Pilate is Milkman’s aunt who treats him as her own son and is protective over him. Unfortunately for Milkman and Guitar, they did not find gold but they found Milkman’s grandfather’s bones. This triggers Milkman and he finally leaves his home in search for gold in an old Pennsylvania farm.
Even before his life journey also started Milkman those who were supposed to love him unconditionally tried to end him. Milkman 's father was that person; Macon dead was jealous of both his wife 's father and his unborn son. "I know he never told you that he killed my father and that he tried to kill you." (Morrison 124). Milkman 's mother Ruth told him the truth about his father, the man he was supposed to look up to and cherish. When his mother told him that his father tried to make her abort him, he was told that his aunt Pilate was the reason why he was alive. "Pilate was the one who brought you here in the first place ... Pilate? ... Milkman was coming awake" (Morrison 124). The moment in which he found out that his aunt was the reason for his existence was an end to what he felt against his aunt and a beginning. Milkman was starting to become less narrow-minded, he was beginning to leave his child like ways of thinking and started to noticed things and acted in them. Finding out that his aunt saved him made him realize that Pilate was the catalyst in his life. That his aunt someone who his father despised so very much was someone who helps give Milkman a chance in life. As the door that leads to his existing relationship with his father closed another opened; the one that further enhanced the
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
Similarly, Milkman dehumanizes and objectifies the women around him. At the head of the fight, the novel introduces Milkman’s age as “twenty-two and… had been fucking for six years,” highlighting the prominent role that sex with women plays in his maturity and erasing the individuality of the women behind the “fuck” (64). On the surface, his defense of his mother and defiance against his father conjures kindness and compassion; however, Milkman reveals his motives to be of a less pure origin. He struck his father back, not out of love for his mother, calling her “too
While on his quest for the gold Milkman discovers moral value in his family history. While in Pennsylvania he loses all of his material possessions, which enables him to realize his life shouldn?t revolve around material items and sparks an interest in his family history. From information he gathers while in Pennsylvania he believes the gold he is seeking is in Virginia. While in Virginia Milkman learns he has family history in the town of Shalimar. While in the town Milkman realizes he somehow feels connected to the people there. This is a feeling he never had in his hometown. This connections reminds him of his feelings when he is with his aunt Pilate. This opens a strong need in him to find out about his family?s past.
Maturity comes with experiences in life. Some are exposed to those events early while others encounter them in their adulthood. These transitions cause character development within the protagonist, Milkman Dead. In the bildungsroman, or coming of age, novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Milkman evolves from an ignorant and selfish being to a responsible and caring man. While trying to become an independent man, he both socially and personally developed.
Pilate introduces a quality of "enchantment" into the novel. The circumstances of her birth make her a character of supernatural proportions. She delivered herself at birth and was born without a navel. Her smooth stomach isolates her from society. Moreover, her physical condition symbolizes her lack of dependence on others. Her self-sufficiency and isolation prevent her from being trapped or destroyed by the extremely decaying values that threaten her brother's life.
Milkman’s journey for an identity takes him down a road in which he becomes as callous as his father.