Seven Day Milkman Analysis

Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon set in the mid-20th century provides an in-depth look at racism through the use of plot and character development throughout the novel. The author presents the friendship of two very different young men that depict the way one's upbringing can affect the outcome of their life. While Milkman and Guitar share an unbreakable bond as children, the older they get, the harder it becomes for them to remain being friends. In this novel, Morrison makes several statements regarding being a young African American in the second half of the 20th century through the portrayal of Guitar and Milkman’s response to racism, while Milkman represents those who remain isolated from issues in society and do nothing to better their situation in life, Guitar represents those who take action against injustices not only for their community but also to obtain some control over their own lives.

At the same time as Milkman has less air for breathing at home, he gets to know his cousin Hagar and is introduced to her as a brother. Although Reba corrects her mother Pilate by saying, “That ain’t her brother, Mama. They cousins”, Pilate counters, “I mean what’s the difference in the way you act toward ‘em? Don’t you have to act the same way to both?” (Morrison 54). This first encounter sets the basis of Hagar’s and Milkman’s relationship. Pilate makes clear that family is family no matter the degree of kinship. Accordingly, Pilate tries to predetermine how Hagar should regard her cousin and this conversely reveals the incestuous nature of Milkman and Hagar’s coming relationship. Notwithstanding, Morrison writes that “From the first time he saw her, when he was twelve and she was seventeen, he was

The woman who raised and loved him did not know him any longer. This is one of many instances that illustrates the white society’s “lack of mercy and compassion” (22). Malcolm X blames whites for robbing his mother’s dignity, for separating his siblings, and for “disintegrating” his home and unity. Therefore, Malcolm X states he has no compassion for “a white society that will crush people” (22). The word “crushed” imparts the same horror he feels on the audience to illuminate the extremity of racism so that the audience can sympathize with his reasoned anger. Being called the ‘n-word’ in his life is another factor in Malcolm X’s belief that white society is demeaning to blacks. When Malcolm X told his English teacher that he wanted to be a lawyer, she replied, “That’s no realistic goal for a n-word” (118). The teacher’s statement is a clear portrayal of the widely accepted sentiment in that time period that African Americans are too incompetent to have good jobs and have ambitions. As a result, this incident deeply affected Malcolm X and has contributed to his disapproval of blacks being servile in a white society. Malcolm X appeals to the audience 's sense of horror and hatred by sharing his experiences in order for paint a more illuminated picture of racism.

When he tells his teacher he might want to be a lawyer, he is rebuked with racism: “‘A lawyer-- that’s no realistic goal for a n****r.’”(38) He sees then that his work to become the top student and class president has all been for naught. It doesn’t matter how hard he tries: “They didn’t give me credit for having the same sensitivity, intellect, and understanding that they would have been ready and willing to recognize in a white boy in my position.”(28) This realization breaks something in him: when he realizes that whites will never deign to accept him into their society, he loses trust in what his father stood for. “‘You’re acting so strange,’” his classmates and coworkers tell him.(37) Malcolm changes; he rejects all outer stimuli and retreats deeper into himself, hopeless without a paragon of success to emulate. “‘You don’t seem like yourself, Malcolm. What’s that matter?’”(37) In losing his role model, Malcolm has become a wanderer without a path to follow.

During this discussion, Guitar reflects on Milkman that he does not possess the familiarity of what it’s like to be in the South. With his wealth, he is capable of soaring away from any obstacle, rather than the alternative of withstanding the issue. This is a form of isolation for Milkman, as he does not sympathize with this situation, he is oblivious to his own race, which affects his growth of mentality because he does not see the world as a racial, in equitable environment.

The significance of Milkman’s name represents his immaturity throughout his life starting from a young age as he floats aimlessly throughout his years. Milkman has, "stretched his carefree boyhood out for thirty-one years," and cannot seem to let go of his childish ways. Never does he focus on more adult like things, but rather be juvenile about everything that comes into his way of life. The connection between Milkman and his mother and the odd yet overbearing relationship of both sexuality and indifference shapes him into the forever childhood stuck boy he was raised to be. The sucking of his mother’s breasts till he was ten made the whole town and himself identify him as Milkman, due to his inability to get away from his over charismatic

The murder of his father created a crimson stain in Malcolm Little’s heart. This led him to a path of petty crimes that resulted to him spending time in jail. Malcolm began to wrestle with self identity and felt convicted that he was living into what America already had categorized him into being, a black worthless thug. As Malcolm wrestled with this in his cell, he met fellow convict John Bembry. Bembry as Malcolm described was the first person he

Throughout Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Milkman Dead, the main character of the story, is on a quest to find both independence and his own identity. Milkman has always been connected to his father, Macon Dead, a prominent African American real estate agent, and spends a good portion of his life trying to distance himself from his family. On his quest to find himself, Milkman is surrounded by family members and friends who both aid and hamper him from completing his quest. Guitar, Milkman’s best friend is the character who most blatantly attempts to enable him in his journey, while also deliberately trying to kill him along the way. However, Milkman’s aunt, Pilate Dead, is his guide along his mission for self-knowledge and identity.

            Whereas Milkman finds his place and identity through a journey and through self-discovey, Guitar finds his place by immersing himself in society. He grew up with Railroad Tommy and the people in the Barbershop. This group of men spent their time discussing and complaining about the injustices that were being done to black men. Guitar reflects the views of urbanized black men, defiant of white power and authority, and militant in their convictions for change. Morrison intentionally contrasts Milkman with Guitar to show that the individual is better off discovering his/her self outside of society. We aren't supposed to like the Seven Days. There is a coldness and a negative connotation surrounding the barbershop and the Seven Days. Guitar is aware of the problems of society, but he is incapable of expanding beyond the limited views of the Days, and eventually this brings him to consider killing his best friend.

The biggest impact throughout this whole story to me was the guitar. The guitar took a huge toll on its owners life. It led the owner into temptations of fame and the sacrifices that must be made to retrieve it. The guitar being an instrument also acts like its own person. It gives off a grand amount of negative energy. I feel as if sherman alexie used his text to put across a point of how people cherish fame and fortune too much. His story put off that cheaters never win feel. The overall theme i recieved from this book is the power of music.he connects it through all characters in the book. i would say that because of How he used his characters Robert and Victor they both wanted to be the best blues players in the world they seeked it so much that they were willing to give up their souls for it. Not knowing the mistake they've made is where the cheaters never win theme comes in. (pg.6 Alexie, S. (2014). Reservation blues. Grove Press.) where robert john states how he has made a bad decision and catches a disease that he can't get rid of tying cancer to the hollywood syndrome he catches from the fame. Big Mom uses music to cope with things that happen in life and teaches her students to put feeling into their

Smith had learned earlier—that only birds and airplanes could fly” (Morrison 9). Morrison writes that Milkman loses all interest in himself at that point. This incident is complementary to an episode in The Autobiography of Malcolm X when Mr. Ostrowski, a teacher of Malcolm X’s, tells Malcolm that becoming “a lawyer…is no realistic goal for a nigger” (X 41). In both cases, each individual thereafter tries to pursue a more mainstream view of self-identity. Further observation of the two men aligns closely with identities of American ideals of wealth, prosperity, and Western culture.

James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blues” utilizes race, poverty, stereotypes, and adversity to shine a light on the struggle to escape circumstance. Throughout the text, Baldwin describes the hardships leaching the life out of Harlem’s black community from the narrator’s perspective. Sonny, the narrator’s brother, struggles with his identity and ability to feel emotion leading him to the world of music and drugs, “To be aware of oneself, Baldwin believes, is to feel a sense of loss, to know where we are and what we’ve left behind” (Murray 355). Truly knowing one’s identity comes at the cost of confronting the past. Pain, suffering, and tragedy make up the identity of men just as music expresses it. Sonny’s passion for music, as Murray points out in

We all have a week or a month, when things are not as expected! Let me go back to one such week in 2017 it was the week that everything that happened was not expected. Before retelling the story, characters have to be introduced. The main characters are Noor, Alya, Abdullah, Aziz and I. They are my siblings. As for the other three, they are my girl cousins their names are Jawahar, Maha and Ghalya. As for the characters that are unnecessary and will only be mentioned once, they are my Aunt’s son and my Uncle’s son. Also, there are Ahmed, my Father, and Fahad my cousin who have both passed away. It was unexpected to have a week of grief.

Milkman goes back to Susan’s house and he asked about jake and she told Milkman that Jake and Sing got married and may have went to Boston together. Milkman asked her why asked her why did she tell him something different and she said it was because Grace was there. Susan told Milkman that jake was one of the flying African children. Then Milkman asked about Heddy and he was Susan’s grandma, she took care of Jake after his father went missing.

Malcolm X, born in 1925, didn’t have the easiest life. His family was not the wealthiest family and they went through the ups and downs of life more than anyone could ever imagine. After his father passed away a lot of things became harder to deal with. It was he, his mother, and his brothers and sisters. Life became harder to go through. Malcolm and some of his siblings were taken away from their mother and put into other homes while they sent his mom to a psychiatric hospital. Things were going pretty well for Malcolm but he got into some trouble and was sent to a reform school. While at the reform school, things were going well for Malcolm. “Then in the second semester of the seventh grade, I was elected class president” (Haley 32). “I was then one of the three highest in the class” (Haley 34). It seemed that the white people he was surrounded by were accepting him. But it was his conversation with his English teacher Mr. Ostrowski when his views of white people began to change.