Preview

Song Of Solomon Character Analysis Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2655 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Song Of Solomon Character Analysis Essay
Introduction
World renowned author, Toni Morrison, is known for her mystical references and interpretations. This is seen constantly in her 1977 novel, Song of Solomon. It is an eccentric story, one like no other, and any reader will see that from the first few pages. Morrison depicts eccentric characters and an African folktale to challenge readers into understanding the story’s deeper meaning. Song of Solomon focuses on the life of the protagonist Milkman Dead and his lifelong quest dedicated to discovering both his roots and purpose in life. Milkman has always been dependent and influenced by others; not once did he ever have to rely on himself for anything and being raised by his protective mother and sisters did little to help that. He has survived an unusual life, constantly having to endure strange and conflicting relationships between either his family, his best friend, or his lover. Everyone in the story contributes immensely to Milkman’s flight. Some help Milkman realize who he truly is and others help him see who they truly are.
Milkman’s real name is Macon Dead III. Ruth, Milkman's mother, had a guilty pleasure of breastfeeding her son when he is beyond the accepted age. She is seen through the window by the local janitor, Freddie, when she is breastfeeding Macon. Because
…show more content…
Milkman grew up never learning how to commit or build any relationship at all. This absence of knowledge showed Milkman that the only way of relieving pain is to run away from it. This belief goes back to Solomon and how he flew back to Africa abandoning his family leaving them with no role model or support. As Milkman searches for himself he continues to learn several truths about his ancestry and family. Throughout his journey Milkman slowly discovers a community in which he learns to respect and trust. A community that changes him for the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Thomas Szasz says, “ Two wrongs don't make a right, but they make a good excuse.” In the book Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison tells the story during the time where whites could kill blacks and get away with it. She paints us a picture of how it was back then when she says, “A young Negro boy had been found stomped to death in Sunflower County, Mississippi. There were no questions asked about who stomped him- his murderers had boasted freely- and there were no questions about the motive.” Does this sound fair?…

    • 557 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    During his journey, Milkman starts to learn about his family. In Pennsylvania, Milkman meets Reverend Cooper, a close friend of Macon Dead, and tells stories about Macon. Reverend tells Milkman that the Butlers, a wealthy white family, were responsible for Macon I’s death.…

    • 275 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the story One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, the protagonist Randall Patrick McMurphy faked his insanity so he could go to a mental hospital instead of facing the crimes he committed. He goes in with his mind set on his goal without a care for anyone else, at least, that’s how it was in the beginning.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Trauma is defined as an emotional wound or shock that creates substantial, lasting damage to the psychological development of a person or an event or situation that causes great distress and disruption. Toni Morrison wrote, "You wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down." The heaviness of trauma that has never been addressed can be passed on to further generations leading to its perpetuation. In the novels The Dew Breaker by Edwidge Danticat and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Ka and Macon Dead Jr. have inherited trauma from their parents, which leads them on expeditions to find out the causes of their parents trauma and in the process discovery of their family history and eventual self discovery.…

    • 286 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon tells the story of Macon “Milkman” Dead III, an egotistical man who rediscovers himself through his past with the help of his best friend and aunt. Morrison shows how prejudice society can he when the white man dominates while only allowing very few blacks to survive. Morrison reveals how man must rediscover himself by reconnecting with the things of the past.…

    • 277 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses two main incidents in Milkman’s journey, to reveal that gold is a motif for Milkman finding himself and his identity. The first extraordinary incident introduces itself during Milkman’s search for gold in the south, when Milkman is out swimming with Sweet in the nearest quarry. Here Milkman, driven by his restless search for gold, realizes his true identity when he finds out that he belongs to the tribe of Solomon’s. As time passes and Milkman extorts closer to the tribe of Solomon’s, his search for gold becomes less relevant to him throughout his journey in the south, and he becomes obsessed with the knowledge of his past to find his true identity. The revelation that causes Milkman to realize where he belongs is delivered by Susan Byrd, who Milkman is related to through Heddy. In addition, Susan Byrd revolutionary enlightenment t, twists Milkman’s vision of The Song of Solomon. Susan Byrd’s unidealistic twist revealed the meaning and connections between Milkman and the tribe of Solomon’s, and how they relate to each other under Milkman’s superficial search for gold. This is how Milkman gets his revelation of his past and his identity in the quarry with Sweet. Morrison reveals “Oh, him. She laughed. “You belong to that tribe of niggers? She thought he was drunk. Yeah. That tribe. That flyin motherfuckin tribe. Oh, man!” (328). This is an extremely important point in Milkman’s life, because he realizes his connection to his past and where he’s from. Milkman has lived his whole life not knowing where he’s from. He lived his whole life in the shadow of his father’s name, Macon Dead, without knowing how and where it came from. For Milkman be able to identify his ancestors and who they were; for Milkman to say that he belongs to a certain tribe of people, which was only discovered by his…

    • 693 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Mr. Smith, an insurance agent and member of the merciless Seven Days society, attempts to fly away from the No Mercy Hospital roof, and plummets down to his death. In wake of the commotion surrounding his suicide, Ruth Foster becomes the first African-American woman to give birth inside the hospital. Her son, Macon Dead III, the protagonist of the novel, is soon awarded the unflattering nickname of Milkman, so dubbed because Ruth nurses him well past his infancy. In his childhood, Milkman befriends Guitar and becomes acquainted with his aunt Pilate, a relationship Milkman's father forbids. Milkman's father, Macon Dead II, is motivated by money, and he tells his son to, "Own things. And let the things you own own other things. Then you'll own yourself and other people too." Soon, the effects of a prosperous and privileged upbringing leave Milkman naive and egocentric with no spiritual identity.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    At this point in The Song of Solomon, Milkman has learned a great deal about his parents Macon Sr and Ruth. At first Milkman viewed his father as an abusive person that few people liked. Milkman begins to personally separate himself from his father because he doesn’t want people to think they are similar. This leads to Milkman drinking, smoking and growing facial hair because he wants to be different in all ways. Milkman doesn’t even take care of his money and spends it irresponsibly, to separate himself from his father.…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Song of Solomon, Morrison spends the entirety of Part I to establish the status quo, only to overturn it through Milkman's epiphany. Morrison describes the lack of emotions in the Dead family and Milkman's lack of spiritual growth, and goes on to introduce recurring symbols such as that of flight as a means of escape, song, and gold. In incorporating these elements and showing how they relate to Milkman's journey in the second part, Morrison establishes the classic example of a bildungsroman. The term, originally from Germany, translates to "novel of formation," an effective way of describing Milkman's story. In sending Milkman to the South, Morrison not only…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Milkman went on his journey with the intention of finding material wealth, he left with a wealth of knowledge about his family which he realized is much more valuable. He also realizes that being a member of the Dead family meant a lot more than everyone led him to believe (Anatol). Being a Dead also associated him with the black community and gave him more insight to his past, while also being given a nickname showed that the black community he lives him knows him on enough of a personal level to be able to provide him with a meaningful nickname. When listing the members of the Dead family, Milkman is thrown in as “another Macon Dead, now known to the part of the world that mattered as Milkman Dead”, once again suggesting that those that…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The issues concerning male oppression in "The Bluest Eye" and the abandonment of women in "Song of Solomon" all deal with low class African American women. Also in these works by Morrison, the historical of them become reality not only to the characters but the readers as well, through imagery, folk lores, the oral histories, and metaphoric perceptions of the communities (Cyganowski). As Keith Lawrence states in his overview in Twentieth- Century Young Adult Writers, "... she is not afraid to describe women and men as sexual beings; she knows precisely what it means to be a women; and she helps illuminate the relative truth of the values which male society- and women themselves- have assigned to womenhood"…

    • 675 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In "Song of Solomon" the women take somewhat of a backseat compared to the men. There are plenty of strong and important female characters in this work but they become disposable to the men. For example Macon Dead II loved the thrill of taking off Ruth's shoes and stocking but as time passed he simply hated her and wasn't afraid to hit her either. From Ruth's perspective she just craved loved and wanted someone to fill her void since he husband would no longer show her an ounce of appreciation. Ruth then decided that Milkman would be her champion and she would love him and hopefully that love would be reciprocated and this relationship would eventually lead her to breastfeeding Milkman even when he was too old for it and thus him receiving…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There has been a lot of ink spilled on the comparison’s between Toni Morrison’s novels and William Faulkner’s novels and justifiably so. Both have written stories about Americans dealing with the American problem of race relations. Morrison’s “Song of Solomon” and Faulkner’s “Absalom, Absalom!” are two such novels that contain many similar elements. Both novels are about young men or relatively young men (Milkman is 31 when he begins his quest) who try to put together a family’s past. The novels also share certain similarities between certain characters and in narrative structure, but within these similarities come differences that separate the authors from each other. The differences stem from their perspective on what the legacy of the American South should be.…

    • 2997 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Learning lessons is a very important part of growing up. Children learn new things every day of their life. Even adults learn something every once in a while. In the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, the character Scout is very adventurous and loves to learn; she has many experiences that lead to her being taught many different things about life. On page 12 of Cliff Notes for this novel, John Sova writes “each experience is designed to give Scout a further understanding about certain things in life and about people. In one way or another, every episode leads to some type of learning experience for Scout”. Scout learns a lot of different things about her town’s views, the people who she’s heard about but never really knew, and how to treat others the proper way.…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The primary purpose of Shakespeare’s “King Lear”is the tragedy and focus of the fall of a noble character due to a tragic flaw. Shakespeare’s main purpose was perhaps to emphasize on the idea that tragedies intend to show how our very own human nature can turn out to be our worst enemy. In “King Lear,” the reader gets to see how Lear suffers from his tragic flaw, which includes of arrogance and misjudgements. Because of his tragic flaw, King Lear makes bad decisions. When he announces his plan in dividing the kingdom between his three daughters he orders them to speak up and say which daughter loves him the most. He does this not thinking about the consequences; he expects Cordelia, his favorite daughter, to speak up instead Goneril and Regan…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays