Essay on Song of Solomon: A Bildungsroman of Milkman

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.

At the beginning Milkman is not very pleasant, he was similar to his father, self-centered and mean. Macon

While it is seen that Milkman is looking for his inner self, he wasn 't trying to accept his outer appearance and struggles that came with his complexion. One-day Milkman and his friend Guitar were discussing the tribulations of the blacks in the south. Guitar poses the question of what Milkman would do if Pennsylvania, where they currently reside, was to become like Montgomery, Alabama. Milkman then responds with, "Buy a plane ticket." (Morrison 104) As a result of growing up wealthy and being sheltered from troubles, Milkman has this mentality that his money will be his ticket out of everything including racial issues. Guitar tries to help him see past his money, that his money does not erase the racial prejudices Caucasian people have about blacks. Guitar tries to demonstrate the idea that your problems don 't leave just because you do. While also attempting to make Milkman acknowledge the fact that his skin isn 't green but brown.

Macon Jr., Milkman’s father, also has abnormalities that affect his traits and attitude about life. He suffers trauma at a young age. The horrific execution of

All of these obstacles are what led Milkman to change into a person who is more aware. The first obstacle Milkman faces in Virginia is finding the cave. While on his search for locating the cave, Milkman faced something he’s hardly come into contact with in his whole life: struggle. Milkman struggles with finding and getting in the cave which he had to confront alone. Milkman “slipped to one knee and soaked his shoes” (249) and then “dropped six inches and fell again” (249).

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

The division and classification of human beings. This is the idea behind “race”. For centuries this term was used by so called superior humans to justify their discrimination and violence towards the people around them. It continues to be associated with such an ominous past and has come to shape attitudes around the world. Even in our modern society conflict and tension because of race continue to hinder our species unity. In the United States of America tensions between blacks and whites have existed ever since the birth of the country and there is no end in sight. Numerous samples of American literature have directly spoken of race. Remarkably, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison through its insightful storytelling and the uniqueness of its characters manages to give very thought provoking views on the subject. The protagonist Milkman Dead is an African American man who has always lived a complacent lifestyle. Never truly understanding the hardships of other African Americans his attitude toward the subject of race is one of ambiguity. This completely contrast his own family and friends as their perspectives not only reveal their character in their truest form but also the folly of ignorance.

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

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

Milkman craves to find out where he really fits in the world and find himself. By him getting rid of his burdens he believes that he will be able. Thus through his venture to learn to fly he learns a lot more about himself and the world in general.

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.

Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, is about a man named Macon Dead. Throughout this novel, however, he is known by all except his father as Milkman because his mother breastfed him until he was in his teens. The novel centers on Milkman's attempt to find himself. His family is a wealthy black family living in a poor black neighborhood, where Milkman's father prohibits Milkman from interacting with most of them, including his aunt. However, he ends up visiting her, and while there, he learns a little about his family's mysterious past and decides to look deeper into it. Throughout his journey into his past, one may notice a large amount of biblical allusions.

“Doing the right thing takes courage and strength.” (Blair Waldorf). Some people have struggles growing up and cannot express who they truly are because they always tried to hide under someone’s shadow. Throughout the first half of the novel Milkman is the incarnation of an immature young man drifting aimlessly through life. He also inherited some qualities from his father; they both had strong materialistic values, arrogance, his sexist, and aggressive attitude towards women. In Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses minor characters in the novel as form of guidance counselor for Milkman’s development.

Just like his father, Milkman tried to be blind to the racial issues that go on in his world. Being self-absorbed with his life doesn’t believe certain racial issues affect him. He comes from a wealthier family than the people in his community. When Milkman started working for Macon Jr., he started hanging out with Guitar more. This is when we see the obvious difference in their mentalities. In Chapter 3, Guitar and Milkman are in the barbershop and the men are talking about the murder of Emmitt Till. While Guitar and the other men feel passionately about the subject, Milkman tunes out the conversation and believe that it doesn’t affect him personally. As they grow up, Guitar continues to fuel a hate for white people and join a group called the Seven Days. This group performs any violent acts against whites to avenge the injustices caused against African-Americans. There are only seven men in the group and each

   Song of Solomon tells the story of Dead's unwitting search for identity. Milkman appears to be destined for a life of self-alienation and isolation because of his commitment to the materialism and the linear conception of time that are part of the legacy he receives from his father, Macon Dead. However, during a trip to his ancestral home, “Milkman comes to understand his place in a cultural and familial community and to appreciate the value of conceiving of time as a cyclical process”(Smith 58).