Look mom I can fly!
It's no secret that flight is a prevalent theme in Song of Solomon. On multiple occasions, we see characters in a search for flight.
Flight is often used as a term for escape. In her interview, Morrison gave the example of enslaved people flying away to freedom. In the first chapter, we see a man leap off Mercy Hospital, claiming he can fly. This is the earliest example of a character wanting to fly in the book. While Milkman is still young, he sits in Macon's car, trapped, unable to free himself, between his parents, unable to see where they are going. This can translate to the setting of the book, where the people of the community feel unable to fly from the segregated town they are in, which keeps them from making a fair living. This setting is very different from that of Shalimar. The people are free and happy, all living under the legend of Solomon. This almost becomes contagious to Milkman.
Morrison spent the first half of the book describing Milkman's conceited and arrogant lifestyle, never once speaking incredibly highly of him. It is only two hundred pages in that we see her send Milkman on a quest. On his way to Pennsylvania, he takes a plane. This is another example of Flight in Song of Solomon, as Milkman physically flies away from his hometown, which holds him down for so many years. Milkman's quest has a slight sense of ambiguity as it could initially be a quest for the lost treasure, but it soon becomes a quest to find himself. He discovers his family history, which gives him a new perspective.
The townspeople of Shalimar are friendly and speak highly of his family. "Sitting in the kitchen, they looked at Milkman with such rheumy eyes, and spoke about his grandfather with such awe and affection; Milkman began to miss him too" (Morrison 234). The attitude of the citizens of Shalimar influences his own, and he starts to think of his father in a higher manner.
This newfound sense of liberty and pride gives Milkman a new perspective on his family history and background. He feels better about being in Virginia because he feels respected and praised, whereas, in his hometown, his family experiences so much hatred because of his father. Coincidentally, his father is what gains Milkman so much admiration in Shalimar.
Morrison uses flight to symbolize Milkman's leap from being a self-centered and ignorant person to finally realizing how fortunate he is in life. By allowing him to see where he came from, Morrison gave Milkman his set of wings so he could finally fly.
First, just wanted to summarize the different forms of flight that you mention here: physical flight, flight away from life (death/turning into a ghost), flight from poverty, flight/freedom from a certain desire/ignorance. Also, wanted to point out that at the beginning of the book, the narrator mentions that Milkman lost interest in his life after realizing that he couldn't fly. However, at the end, when he realizes that he CAN fly and becomes really excited--almost as if he had just accomplished his life purpose--and is ready to physically fly off in his life.
ReplyDeleteI like how you describe Milkman's character development in part 2 as a "leap"--because there is something "safe" about the way he lives in part 1, not having any particular ambition or passion or even love for anything, just existing in the way that causes the least amount of resistance. Guitar in particular articulates the idea that to "really live," he has to RISK something, to care enough to be willing to DIE for something, and so there is a real "leap" involved in the deep self-reflection and self-criticism that inspires him to be a better person to the people in his life. For Milkman, feeling and acting on such love WOULD be a leap, and it does seem clear that his ambiguous leap into Guitar's arms at the end of the novel is motivated by a powerful LOVE for Pilate, who has just died in his arms. The utter lack of hesitation in the final moments reflects his new willingness to literally leap without looking or thinking twice, to take that risk.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I like how you followed Milkman's character development through the motif of flight and how it signified Milkman's development in the novel. The first time flight comes up in the novel is when Milkman is born, which is, arguably, the most important part of his development. As the story goes on, flight is never mentioned with respect to Milkman's until he decides to take a plane to Pennsylvania. This is the point in the novel where the plot starts to shift and we see a transition in Milkman's character. From then on, flight is used to represent a new revelation/development in Milkman's character. The book ends with Milkman making the decision to literally fly over a cliff, signifying a major decision in Milkman's life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Milkman's character development is heavily related to the reoccurring theme of flight throughout Song of Solomon. I find it really interesting that milkman throughout the entire book was trying to figuratively and literally fly and was also simultaneously failing at those things. But in part two he slowly begins to almost "grow his wings" and he can fly.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything you said in this post. I think that Morrison does a really good job of utilizing different meanings of the word "flight," and how it could refer not just to physical flight, but a major transition or move away from something in the past, as we see with Milkman's character development throughout the novel. Good post!
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