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Theme Of Flight In Song Of Solomon

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In Song Of Solomon by Toni Morrison, the setting takes place near Lake Superior in Detroit, Michigan around the black community. The story revolves around the character Milkman who is born in a wealthy colored family. The motif of flight plays a significant role in Milkman’s action in his journey. The motif flight represents escape from one's life burdens, freedom and life. Throughout Milkman’s journey to become more independent, and learn his family history. 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). The reason why the peacock is unable to fly is similar to why Milkman is unable to fly symbolically because the peacock’s tail weight keeps it from flying, similar to how Milkman’s wealth hold him down. Milkman’s wealth causes him to have a unsympathetic and cocky …show more content…

For instance, when Pilate, Milkman’s ant, was shot and died in his arms Milkman describes how he loved pilate because “she could fly”, (336) without leaving the ground and then “if you surrendered to the air, you could ride it”, (337). In this case the “air” symbolises life and Milkman understands if you surrender and accept it you could fly because Pilate accepted and moved on from her father’s and daughter’s death. She was free from any burdens and was ready to face what life had in store for her next. So Milkman understood in order to fly, he needs to accept what happened to Pilate because it is irrevocable, and it would weigh him down, and face his next obstacle in

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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).

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Milkman discovers his family name and history, and while on his journey, Milkman finds happiness, understanding, and a sense of identity. While the actual findings of his family is important, Milkman’s discovery of his own identity through his family’s history is the true take-away from the

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Flannery O’Connor’s The King of the Birds is a narrative explaining the narrator’s obsession with different kinds of fowl over time. The reader follows the narrator from her first experience with a chicken, which caught the attention of reporters due to its ability to walk both backward and forward, to her collection of peahens and peacocks. At the mere age of five, the narrator’s chicken was featured in the news and from that moment she began to build her family of fowl. The expansive collection began with chickens, but soon the narrator found a breed of bird that was even more intriguing; peacocks.

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Unexpected breaches of trust are a recurring theme in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. For example, Milkman attempts to plunder Pilate’s house, despite his close connection with and adulation for her, to cater to his selfish desire for gold. Similarly, Guitar nearly murders Milkman due to his delusions and his own ambitions to obtain the gold. However, one instance of this idea is arguably the most prominent: Macon’s discovery of Dr. Foster’s foibles, and the incestuous relationship between Dr. Foster and Macon’s wife, Ruth. Through the drastic changes in Macon’s personality this leads to, this subplot demonstrates the effects of a betrayal of trust.

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As Milkman finds himself alone in the dark woods, Guitar jumps him and a bobcat ends up dead, the novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison questions, yet again, the identity of Milkman. As the hunters begin skinning the bobcat head to claws, it seems as if Milkman hears the old words of Guitar after each body part is cut, these lines directly correlated to Milkman’s feelings as he transform from a privileged city boy, to a heroic figure clad in camouflage and a new type of strength. The scene shows the violence towards white men in the hunter’s vulgar procedure, the stripping away of masculinity but also some type of re birth for Milkman. Could Milkman be the bobcat? The patient animal, staying lone but sneakily using it’s strength to make a move.

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In the book, Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, the image of flight is a major symbol. It signifies true life and the living of it, as well as a sense of freedom, of release, and touches the lives of all the main characters in the book, as it is a part of the dead family history. But the most affected is Milkman, who embarks on a journey of self-discovery, and discovers this true meaning of flight. The first instance of Morrison's use of the image of flight is at the very beginning of the book. " At 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday the 18th of February, 1931, I will take off from Mercy and fly away on my own wing Please forgive me.

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