Misogyny In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

After the killing, Milkman seems

In Song of Solomon, written by Toni Morrison, deep concern for not only the existence and development of the black community is shown, but also for human beings in general. Questions such as “Why and how are individuals isolated from society?” , “What voice is created in isolation?”, and even “How does an individual resolve conflict between personal ethics and social morality?” strictly apply to Song of Solomon. Milkman, the protagonist, embarks on an unwitting search for his roots and ties to the black community, all while feeling isolated from society.

When Milkman is set on his odyssey in search of gold, he uncovers his family’s

Within society, materialism is often associated with success and prosperity. In the novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, there was a pattern of how even though the most successful characters were also the most materialistic, they were not always the happiest. Two characters that were at either end of the scale of materialism were Macon and Pilate. These very different lifestyles that Macon and Pilate lived, Macon being heavily materialistic and Pilate not at all, caused them to develop different attitudes that were influenced heavily by materialism. Through the analysis of the mystery of Pilate’s and Macon’s lifestyles, Morrison illustrates that materialism destroys people and prevents them from achieving freedom.

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).

Throughout the second half of the novel, Milkman has his coming of age story-line by finding his own identity. Milkman starts selflessly helping people, befriending people, and connecting with nature as he learns more and more about his father’s family. While Milkman goes on an unconventional self-discovery, the whole meaning of Song of Solomon is the loss of identity and the self-journey to find one’s identity and place in the world. By unearthing the truth of his family, Milkman is finally able to form an identity and find his “people.” Only once Milkman begins his journey to find the gold, which is a guise for self-discovery, does Milkman finally uncover his life-long mystery: the mystery of his family’s past and his own identity.

Milkman begins to realize the indecent person he was and begins to change. Morrison writes, “ He also knew in all his life, Guitar had never seen Milkman give anybody a hand, especially a stranger; he also knew that they’d even discussed it, starting with Milkman’s not coming to his mother;s rescue in a dream he had”(296). Before Milkman's growth he did not come to rescue people. He was all about himself and did not care if others were suffering. He only wanted to share in their happiness not their suffering or sadness.

In Toni Morrison’s novel The Song of Solomon she emphasizes many current and upcoming feminist ideas throughout the story. Magdalene called Lena Dead embodies second wave feminist and postfeminist ideas by fitting into certain stereotypes while being a secretly strong side character as well. “Magdalene called Lena” is first portrayed in the dramatic first chapter when Robert Smith, a “North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance agent promised to fly from Mercy to the other side of Lake Superior at three o’clock” (19) on Wednesday, February 18, 1931. Her mother “dropped her covered peck basket, spilling red velvet rose petals” (21) upon Robert Smith’s leap to his death. “The wind blew them about, up, down, and into small mounds of snow.”

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.

Toni Morrison frequently incorporates her familial background into her literary works. She is an African-American female author who was told African myths and folktales by her family members, who she credits for “instilling in her a love of reading, music and folklore” (“Toni Morrison”). Morrison is fully in touch with and appreciative of her ancestral background, and because of this, she reiterates these tales in her writings. In Song of Solomon, Morrison employs a wide variety of African cultural traditions and folklores to create a unique narrative regarding an African-American man’s quest for self-discovery and his true cultural identity, one that is absent from his current community. One of the most prominent African myths discussed

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.

Milkman’s identity begins taking shape as a child with his family that constantly coddles him

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.

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

After Macon finishes telling Milkman the full story, Milkman describes Macon as the “King of the Mountain” which is a metaphor for an undisputed leader or champion, and Ruth as the “frail” (Morrison 75). This all stems back to Macon, being a successful and powerful man, who uses his language and influence to shape Milkman's understanding of the world. Furthermore, this proves how the two conflicting perceptions of the same story make Milkman aware of how uncertain he is with his perception of