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Theme Of Flight In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

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Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, is a novel about Milkman, a boy who was born after a life insurance agent hurled himself of a building in an attempt to fly. The book is divided into two parts, the first being about Milkman being encaged by his family’s secrets, unable to be his true self because of it. The second part being about Milkman’s freedom from his family’s grasp, when he leaves his home and learns who he is without his family dragging him down, he is able to find his true self. These two parts can be distinguished from each other by analyzing the themes that show up in the novel: flight, love, and death.
First off, what does flight signify? Flight signifies freedom and especially in Song of Solomon, flight is used to express the way Milkman feels. In part one of the book, Morrison writes “Mr. Smith’s … wings must have left their mark, because when the little boy discovered, at four, … -that only bird and airplanes could fly- he lost all interest in himself. To have to live without that single gift saddened him.”(Morrison pg. 9) Milkman has lived with this …show more content…

Love is what drove Milkman to his happy ending, with his love for flight. Part I exposes the reader to the type of love Milkman has towards Hagar, Macon Dead II towards Ruth, and Pilates love towards her daughters. First off, Milkman’s love towards Hagar at first seems to be real because he states that he loves her from a very young age. But later on, his love for her changes, “[s]leeping with Hagar had made him generous. Or so he thought. Wide-spirited. Or so he imagined.” (Morrison Pg. 69). Milkman does not love Hagar, he is just using her until he finally leaves her causing her to go crazy. This part is almost an exact replica of what happens in part II. In part II, as Milkman learns about his great grandfather Solomon, Milkman learns that Solomon had a wife, Ryna, and when Solomon left her and also his children, she was heartbroken and went

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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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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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The passage reveals Guitar’s explanation to Milkman for joining the Seven Days society when Milkman confronts him on his furtive behavior. The setting of the conversation is at Mary’s bar, where they begin discussing Hagar’s attempted murder but Milkman feels uncomfortable when Guitar questions why Hagar would exhibit such extreme behavior; thus, he turns it around and questions Guitar. Morrison characterizes and illustrates the contrast between Guitar and Milkman in this section through repetition and an accusatory tone. By repeating words and phrases multiple times, Morrison stresses her about the two sides of black activists. Milkman preferred nonviolence and came from a privileged background whereas Guitar preferred violence and came from a poor family; this foil creates highlights the characters’ differences and clashing beliefs towards

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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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Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon is a novel that is set in the 20th century, Michigan which follows the life of Macon Dead III, who gets the nickname milkman. His sisters are Magdalene, who is called Lena, and First Corinthians. His parents are Ruth and Macon Dead Jr. Unlike most African American families during this time period, the Dead family were financially stable and could afford things that were deemed luxurious. Even though they had money, they still were unhappy with their lives. This shows that you can be living ,but you can also be dead.

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When Toni Morrison began her novel, Song of Solomon, she introduces her readers to a world in which Caucasian Americans have full power over their African American neighbors. Detailing the pessimistic treatment of African Americans, readers come to believe in the stereotypical “weak, black man,” of African Americans who allow themselves to be dominated, who see the dangers that are forced upon them and bow down to them, obliging to the torture and prejudice they face every day. This portrait of acceptance is broken, torn into a million pieces when Morrison goes in depth into the secondary character of her novel, Guitar, during the sixth chapter. In the previous 154 pages of Song of Solomon, Guitar is elucidated as simply the best friend of the main character, Milkman, as someone who is only present in the tale to listen to the problems of his friend and give knowledgeable advice. Until chapter 6, Guitar is nothing but a clear definition of “best-friend-forever,” someone who helps the main character but does nothing else, while Milkman is the reverse of him as he gets receives all of the attention of Morrison, detailing his character traits and identity.

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Despite Milkman being a grown adult, Song of Solomon is a Bildungsroman. In the first half of Song of Solomon, it is evident that Milkman is not yet an adult for he is lost. For all his life, Milkman, as a son, brother, and friend, has been found wanting. Once Milkman leaves Michigan, the work’s meaning is finally uncovered.

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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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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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His legacy is left in the form of a song, as the people of Shalimar sing. The people of Shalimar sing his song, hoping for his return, but they know that he is never going to come back. In "Song of Solomon" another motif that occurs quite frequently is color. At many points throughout the novel, Morrison uses color as an added description of the scene as well as to point to a meaning in the story.

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His social awakening also inspires a change in attitude towards the treatment of women. Initially, Milkman objectifies Hagar and treats her as an inferior, but when he encounters Sweet, he begins to reciprocate her affections and treat her with respect. Furthermore, Milkman’s change in motivation for his flight south illustrates the development of his maturity through his pursuit of his family’s history, proving that attaining wealth is no longer his sole purpose. During his time south, Milkman was maliciously pursued by Guitar. His attempted murderer of Milkman creates the illusion of a resurrection to which Milkman develops social awareness.

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Symbolism plays a crucial role in relating both works of literature to the main theme of freedom. Robinson Jeffers uses symbolism all throughout his poem. One of the major symbols being the hawk in of itself. Birds, in general, are related to a sense of freedom, the sky is the limit. Birds have the ability to fly, and flying in itself represents freedom.

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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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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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It is stated that perceived racism is a ubiquitous fragment of the experiences of African-Americans having an average of 90 percent which is also evident in the characters of the novel. It can be seen on the way the deal with their problems and issues. But, with Milkman, the racism he experienced lead him to be an individual with a sense of manhood. Throughout his journey as seen in the novel, he transformed into a matured man taking all the negative aspects of his life in his journey to self-awareness and fulfillment.

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