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Freedom In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

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In Song of Solomon, the question of freedom appears frequently as it is one of the main themes. Through her writing, Toni Morrison is able to describe freedom as a type of reward that one is able to unlock after going on a journey to find who they are and why they exist and what their role in society is. In this novel, there are two parts, part 1 and part2. In part1, Macon Dead Jr commonly knows as Milkman is first introduced to the notion of freedom by his Aunt Pilate. As a child Milkman has always been isolated by both his family and friends as he is shunned by his heartless father Macon Dead. Never truly able to express his feelings, Milkman lacked emotions. Evidence of this “lack of emotion” is when he compares his lover, Hagar to beer. …show more content…

As Milkman is adamant that finding the gold is his main goal, he soon becomes curious about his family history. Milkman is now becoming that independent mature man he has yearned to be for his whole life. Toni Morrison displays glimpses of Milkman personality changing slowly as he goes out of his way to help a man lift a crate onto a dolly. Being able to leave his father the first time, Milkman is able feel the wind as he is ready to take flight. However after being attacked by Gutair while hunting, Milkman is able to open his eyes to a whole new perspective of the world. He begins to feel he belong to human community. Evidence of Milkman new identity is shown in the end of chapter 11 as Milkman meets a prostitute named Sweet; he is soon able to accept her passion for love unlike he did with Hagar. Each time Sweet did something for Milkman, he was always able to return the favor. “He soaped and rubbed her until her skin squeaked and listened like onyx. She put salve on his face. He washed her hair, She sprinkled talcum on his feet. (pg.285) His action displayed a change in his life, giving him the ability to accept love and at the same time show love to others. This scene also represents Milkman final stages in being able to soar through the skies. However the real evidence that Milkman has finally understood the meaning of freedom during the end of the novel after the death of Pilate. As Pilate’s body lays on the ground, Milkman shows he has no care as he jumps towards Gutair who has a gun aimed right at him. After learning the story of his heritage, Milkman is able to be fully alive and understand who he is and why exist and what his role in society is making him being able to soar through skies letting the children know his

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Throughout Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Milkman Dead’s name serves as a constant reminder of his unhealthy relationship with his mother, Ruth Dead, which in itself is a reflection of her deep-rooted issues with her own personal life that are out of Milkman’s control. The significance of Milkman’s name has multiple layers to it. For example, it is important to recall that his real name is Macon because he makes a significant effort to distance himself from Macon Jr. and prove himself to be different from him. Ruth’s breastfeeding him well past his infancy results in his being stuck with the nickname “Milkman” before he is even old enough to understand the situation.

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As a result Milkman achieve the ability of flight because he was forced to step out of his comfort zone and experience and see the world in a different and an unfamiliar way. The motif of flight representing one's life that is free of burdens, is clearly shown when Milkman and his best friend Guitar is confronted by a white peacock. Milkman ask why the peacock is unable to fly and Guitar says that the peacock has, “too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down”, (179).

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