Song of Solomon Blog

Toni Morrison has created a fascinating world full of complex characters in Song of Solomon. The book follows the various struggles that the main character, Milkman, comes across in his life. Many of the struggles are a result of Milkman's sheltered life, as well as the poor relationship with his family. His father loathes both his mother and his sister. The result is that Milkman hears conflicting accounts and descriptions of his parents and his aunt. This in turn confuses Milkman, to the point where he cannot tell the truth from lies. Thanks to the uncertainty caused by his parents, Milkman lacks a sense of identity. Eventually, Milkman begins to feel suffocated in the presence of his family, and decides that he needs to leave, or, in other words, fly away. Flying has a big part in Song of Solomon. The idea of flying with regards to escaping is something that Toni Morrison explores in her novel. On the day that Milkman died, a doctor jumped off the top of the roof in what seemed to be an attempt at flying and killed himself. Morrison writes that Milkman cried when, at a young age, he discovered that human could not fly. A few decades later, Milkman realizes he has to leave his family and friends behind if he wants to find out who he is. At first, he struggles to leave, with his father convincing him to stay by telling him that Pilate has a bag of gold in her house. Some time after learning of the gold, Milkman and Guitar are hanging out when they see a white peacock. Milkman asks Guitar if it can fly, to which Guitar answers that it cannot fly due to all its "jewelry". Guitar then says that in order to fly, you have to give up what's holding you down. Whether this statement is what inspired Milkman to leave or not, Milkman metaphorically sheds his "jewelry", allowing him to fly away from the town. This is a turning point in Milkman's sheltered life, as he begins to be exposed to the world outside his own little life. It seems like Milkman is beginning to form an identity.