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Milkman's Search For Gold In Song Of Solomon, By Toni Morrison

1063 Words5 Pages

Have you ever wanted to just pack up your things and just leave, no goodbye no explanation, and go on an adventure? Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, centers on the spoiled only son in a family of sisters. The son, Milkman, goes on a journey looking for the lost gold from one of his father’s stories. While looking for the gold he has many different experiences and ends up finding himself instead of the gold. Toni Morrison uses Milkman’s search for gold to represent the ability of people to change and find themselves through experiences that are outside of their normal element. Morrison first portrays Milkman, as he starts his search for gold, as an extremely self-absorbed and ungrateful man. Therefore, he doesn't appreciate what people …show more content…

Instead, he starts trying to find out where his ancestors came from. Once again, Guitar’s insights on life and how to live it educates Milkman. Guitar passionately states, “[it's] not about living longer. It’s about how you live and why" (160). Guitar understands and highlights what Milkman needs to discover about himself in order to live a fulfilling life and make it a life worth living. Another time that Milkman shows that he is finding himself is when he is planning with Guitar about how to rob Pilate. He finally has found out who he is and how he wants to live his life. The narrator describes that Milkman “felt a self-inside himself emerge, a clean-lined definite self. A self that could join the chorus at Railroad Tommy’s with more than laughter” (184). The phrase “clean-lined definite self” proves that Milkman has finally begun to understand himself. He has discovered the part of himself that was unsure of whether to go forward or stay back. Milkman’s journey to find actual gold has led him to find himself. The hardship he has encountered on his journey has make him look inside of himself and discover how he feels and relates to the real world. He has finally discovered himself which makes him feel that he will now fits in more with his old friends and people that he never really felt comfortable

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328 Words | 2 Pages

Chapter 6: “Don’t Shoot Me Santa” – The Killers In chapter 6, during a conversation between Milkman and Guitar, Milkman questions Guitar about his secretive behavior, to which Guitar first denies, but then explains; he is involved in a secret black group called the Seven Days. In the Seven Days, each of the seven members is assigned to a day of the week and randomly kill a white person every time a black person is murdered. These killings are done on the same day of the week as the original black murder was committed, and Guitar considers the Seven Days works as acts of revenge that are necessary to keep the ratio of blacks to whites balances. Milkman expresses his concern for Guitar, saying that his killings are crazy and becoming a

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251 Words | 2 Pages

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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1096 Words | 5 Pages

Furthermore, Ruth’s endless, captivating love restricts Milkman and thwarts his personality’s development to a mature man. His search for his self cannot be satisfied at home since he has no space to become independent or is regarded as a separate

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593 Words | 3 Pages

In the book Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, the book is a very good representation of the racial lens. The racial lens is a lens that has to deal with with racial slurs or sequences the character in the book encounter. Milkman is Guitar's best friend, and due to the fact that Milkman was always wealthy from birth and he lived on the other side of town, Milkman does not understand how someone could be so radicalized as Guitar is. Throughout the book, we can see how Guitar was always passionate about his race since his childhood, and how what white people have done has really affected him life. When Guitar’s father died in a brutal accident at his father’s work place, a white man came to tell him and his family and offered Guitar candy for his father's death.

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500 Words | 2 Pages

In the Toni Morrison’s critically-claimed novel, Song of Solomon, the protagonist, Milkman, goes on a journey to uncover his “people.” Macon, Milkman, Dead III has no identity, ambition, or passion for he is lost and has no idea who he is or what he wants. As Milkman discovers his family’s mysterious and largely unknown past, Milkman discovers something much more: himself. Only through his investigation into his father’s family does Milkman finally find his lost identity.

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949 Words | 4 Pages

Despite being together for many years, Milkman’s blunt attitude and inability to value love results in their break-up, as well Hagar attempting to murder him. Additionally, there is Milkman’s father, Macon Dead II, also simply known as Macon Dead, who is the wealthiest man in town. Macon constantly feels the need to show off his wealth as well as be the most powerful person he

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866 Words | 4 Pages

Without familial ties and history, Milkman lacked the wisdom that comes with knowledge of the past, causing a disconnect between Milkman and his people. Milkman’s journey provides him with the answers to his identity problem allowing his family’s past to provide instruction, and protection, and a certain kind of wisdom necessary in finding his true self. Although Milkman must ultimately define himself, he is also defined by his relationships. He cannot learn these lessons in isolation but only within the context of the present community and relations of

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800 Words | 4 Pages

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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1552 Words | 7 Pages

Economic privileges generally blind people to the unfavorable social conditions of their community, as wealth is commonly used as a method of physical escape. As a result, many of those belonging to this socio economic strata continue to live under the illusions of an idealistic identity, as they fear to uncover a past that may disrupt their supposed utopian lifestyle. The rare amount of people who defy and challenge the blindness evoked by economic privileges are usually awarded with a mental awakening in which they will uncover a social purpose beyond the pursuit of materialistic wealth. In the Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison explores the social transition of Milkman, a privileged individual, through the use of a spiritual awakening. Due to

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328 Words | 2 Pages

Milkman depends on his mother and sisters to solve his troubles or to dig him out of a situation while his mother and his friend Guitar depend on him for mental support. Being the “Milkman” is shown in his character through his tendencies to be concerned about the events that are taking place around him, but he never takes action to fix it for himself. He stays in his own business and does his own thing instead of actively trying to make everything

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1227 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout literature, most novels incorporate an adventure and an exploration theme about the hero journeying to find their path. In the novel Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, it begins depicting Milkman as a feeble dependent character that relies on his friends and family for all of his needs. However, as the novel progresses the view of Milkman develops into an independent figure through a journey. Milkman’s personality and mindset shift as the purpose of the journey diverts away from gold and greed. He comes to realize what’s important in the world and begins exploring what really matters; his race, family’s homes, and identity in the world.

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1288 Words | 6 Pages

She was the sign of misfortune in the entire novel: deprived of sexual interaction with her husband for twenty years, delivering Milkman as a consequence of a shock from a frightening accident, and withstanding the physical violence of her husband even in front of their children. She was never respected or seriously loved by any male characters in the novel—Milkman was ashamed and careless of her, Macon her Husband hated her, and even her father was somewhat embarrassed by their intimacy which Ruth intended. Ironically, she was the daughter of the great Doctor who has a street named after him and the wife of Macon Dead, who is the richest person in town. This contrast emphasizes the tragedy of the character that despite her superior or seemingly advantageous status quo, she still led a miserable life. Morrison quoted that she started the book as an attempt to shatter some of the common stereotypes the 1960s has brought to African American community, which, as she reckons, has left out an enormous portion of the racial character for over-emphasizing the beauty and strength and thereby

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266 Words | 2 Pages

He got his name by being compliant to his mother and just doing what she told him to. Throughout the story Milkman is in the middle of all the problems, being pulled about and just going with the flow of things. Milkman never tries to cause or solve

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514 Words | 3 Pages

In this scene Sethe reclaims the nourishment she was and human generosity she was denied as a slave and reclaims her identity as mother while preparing milk for the two young women she wishes to care for. The symbol of milk is prominent throughout Morrison 's novel. The milk 's symbolism allows insight into the overall themes Morrison is trying to project. Whether it be through its symbolism of motherhood, shame, or nourishment, milk throughout the narrative reveals the ways in which African Americans were stripped of their personal identities as well as their identity as

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721 Words | 3 Pages

These literary devices not only help to do so, but they help to draw out the anxiousness Judd Mulvaney experiences. They also help show his maturity level, which is higher than most since he is able to accept his fate with death. Overall this passage teaches a lesson on maturity and helps the reader to become more aware of the fact that no one is

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