amychen
New Member
“But the wild things cried, “Oh please don’t go—we’ll eat you up—we love you so!”
Posts: 47 
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Post by amychen on May 13, 2014 4:23:20 GMT
So this has already been addressed in Parris' prompt thread by hannahlewman, but we should have a separate prompt for clarity. Here's Hannah's post: Conveniently, my understanding of Morrison's question was pretty similar to Hannah's---I believe that Morrison's question is whether or not someone can achieve true freedom in a society governed by relationships. I agree with Hannah---but I don't believe Milkman ever achieves freedom from discovering his family's past. I'd like to dance with the notion that Milkman defies his histories because he does just what his great-grandfather Solomon did: he got fed up and flew. Historical events and Milkman's tracing of them in Song of Solomon allowed Milkman to reunite with a culture his father left behind; a culture that was denied to him because the one his father adopted was supposedly "better." Milkman and Hagar's situations parallel one another. Whereas Hagar was spoiled with a material culture and unable to understand the fulfillment Reba and Pilate assumed she had, Milkman was able to trace the steps of his ancestors and pick up on what his was missing. Morrison's novel comes down to a kind of "Allegory of the Cave" situation: although Milkman is still bound to the basic laws that keep us from reaching complete freedom, the knowledge that there is more to his "cave" allowed him to achieve relative freedom through a broader perspective, and the ability to comprehend the possibilities he had missed out on---not through lack of ability, but lack of knowledge. |
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Post by Anna M. on May 15, 2014 17:54:03 GMT
I think it's important to also discuss the mention of Emmett Till and the Birmingham Church Bombings in the book. Historical events are notable for their repercussion and what people do in response of the event. Morrison includes these events because the response to these events defines each person. What someone chooses to do as a result of an horrendous event reveals who they are. Guitar responds to these events and tries to maintain "balance" by killing white people. People are also defined by the actions they do not take when something significant occurs. For example, the guilty parties in the South faced little to no punishment for killing African Americans. Milkman wants nothing to do with "The Days" but also has no response to the events involving Emmett Till and the Church Bombings. While Milkman is apathetic towards history of his family and of his race he achieves little and seems to be going nowhere.
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Post by patricktbutenhoff on May 19, 2014 4:46:51 GMT
Throughout the novel, I saw an intriguing juxtaposition between the "lore"-like history that exists only within the context of the novel and the actual historical events alluded to, as Anna pointed out. I personally loved the inclusion of the Emmett Till murder and the Birmingham bombings because they grounded the novel to the world we live in. I think that one tends to look at the novel as a fictional work in its own universe, and since all the major characters are black, there isn't a direct source of racial tension. It's great of Morrison to include these historical events in order to firmly plant Song of Solomon in our United States and remind the reader of the difficult environment the characters are forced to constantly live with. Milkman's family history is also a huge part of his transformation and enlightenment, and it seems to be the primary focus of the latter part of the novel.
But what does this mean for the meaning of Morrison's book as a whole? I posit that Morrison's primary question in Song of Solomon is, "Why can't we be friends?" So much of the conflict and so many of the characters in Morrison's novel seem to revolve around interpersonal feuds: Guitar against white Americans, Macon Dead against Pilate, and Hagar against Milkman. The social environment in Song of Solomon is one rooted in shattered relationships, and it seems to be this force that Milkman attempts to escape from by embarking on a journey on his own, away from all of his baneful friends and family members. It seems to me that history, both within Milkman's family and in real-life history as a whole, is the main driving factor behind the misery in Morrison's novel. The Birmingham bombings spark Guitar's retaliation as a member of the Days, an incident decades ago creates a rift between Pilate and Macon, and Hagar's past with Milkman leads to her absolute collapse. It seems that Morrison concludes that events in the past are the primary barrier to interpersonal relationships in the present.
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Post by avinash on May 19, 2014 18:21:19 GMT
Familial history is something that helped me tie the whole novel together. The Dead family is tainted by the death of Macon Dead I. Macon Jr. sees his father murdered and never lets this memory go. The coping mechanism he develops to deal with this death involves craving wealth. Just has his father had impacted him, it is only natural that Macon Jr. passes on his greed to his son, Milkman. Milkman grows up wealthy and selfish. This lineage of passed on traits helps explain the behaviors of Milkman.
I think Morrison's question involves the ability of an individual to break a cycle. Can people break habits and tendencies that they are predisposed to? Milkman is a testament to the suggestion that this is possible. Morrison gradually is able to shift from being self-centered to showing concern for other individuals and taking responsibility for his actions. When I say cycle I am being broad. It can even include the cycle of poverty.
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Post by samwerner on May 19, 2014 18:48:00 GMT
To me, familial history possesses the most power in the story. The power dynamics caused by familial status are unavoidable. Milkman's personal decisions are constantly motivated by, halted, or changed due to familial tenets remaining stuck in the back of his mind. Not only does family-related background lead to tension and affect much of the happenings in the book, interpersonal relationships, as Patrick referenced, are a centerpiece of Morrison's work. Whether it is the building or breaking of interpersonal relations, each flux in tension and action is caused by an alteration in one relationship or another. These changes appear inherent as they follow relationship changes, which goes with Avi's idea that Morrison asks if people can break habits and tendencies they are predisposed to. Because so much is predicated on the past, the question I believe that Morrison is trying to answer is "can one truly act as, think as, and be an individual?"
Beyond familial status, it's interesting how history affects both the characters and the readers. Morrison does an incredible job of bringing the two together by referencing things such as Emmet Till while also writing unique and authentic reactions to those events.
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Post by robertxu on May 19, 2014 20:04:28 GMT
Like Anna, I enjoy how historical events play a role in showing the personalities of Guitar and Milkman and their socioeconomic contexts. Milkman represents the wealthy, content and educated upper middle class that benefits from the status quo. During some sort of upheaval or revolution, Milkman would have the most to loss. Guitar is the young, lower socioeconomic demographic that is historicallly responsible for the majority of revolutions. So the fact that Milkman does not take a particular interest in the birmingham bombings or the emmett till incidents is less a reflection of his personal convictions but his position in society.
Additionally Guitar seems to not completely concerned with justice for underrepresented, as he is with power and his own vision of justice. This can be seen in the pure greed he exhibits when he chases down Milkman for the gold. This is historically relevant because during this time many radicals had their own solutions to the racial injustices at the time that often shocked the public/moderates and these leaders were often incredibly ambitious.
Guitar wants to be remembered: he wants to shape history
and has a macro vision for the world where he counteracts every injustice committed by a white with an injustice by a black. This explains the conflict between Guitar and Milkman.
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Post by adamgrace on Jun 4, 2014 2:57:07 GMT
While familial history is obviously a massive aspect of SOS, history of locations are important as well. As I mentioned in the presentation, "Not Doctor Street" holds significant historical importance to many of the residents living there. The story behind the street resonates with the oppressed citizens that live there, and by calling it "Not Doctor Street" these citizens hold on to that inkling of hope that they have left.
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Post by naomiporter on Jun 4, 2014 6:04:15 GMT
Of course the familial context of this book is very significant, and many characters' fates are certainly predicated on their family's past. Their past seems to be a mostly negative influence on their lives in many different ways. This comes up in Hagar's spoiled lifestyle, Corinthians' inability to find a job "worthy" of her family, and Milkman's awkward and stagnant position in both his family and his reputation, to name a few. So much of the characters' lives are influenced by family history that it takes a dramatic break in order for them to follow any pursuit of their own, let alone find their identity. Milkman and Corinthians both demonstrate this break by deliberately rejecting their family's expectations and desires to fulfill their own goals. On the other hand, Hagar was unable to break free from the familial context of love and spoiling her, and the result was not particularly happy.
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Post by danyhong55 on Jun 4, 2014 6:21:31 GMT
I agree with Adam in that familial history is an important part of SONG OF SOLOMAN, but that locations are just as important. The story mentions that the book takes place in a town in Michigan, a town that seems to refer to the now defunct "Motor City." Michigan's Detroit was famous in that during the the second world war, which happens in between the time the book introduces Milkman's birth to the rest of his life, many African American's flocked to the city in droves in order to fill the demand of factory labor that was in full throttle due to the war effort.
That seems to exacerbate the situation with the black population in the town and shows how much influence that had on the town, Milkman's family history and the social movements that were happening. "Not Doctor Street" held a significant importance to the character who knew why it was called that and why that was important to the family history of Milkman especially on his mother's side but not so much to perhaps newcomers.
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Post by madisonarmst on Jun 4, 2014 6:48:17 GMT
For me, the central question of this novel is "how much does the past control the present?'. Using the prompt of historical events, the past controls the present a whole lot, particularly through historical events, family history, religious history and place history. The historical events that affect the story include Malcolm X and the beginnings of the civil rights movement in the south. The characters draw hope and inspiration from these events and they affect how they are treated in their own communities. Because of the discrimination their family members faced in the past, it deeply affects how they live their lived in the present. In addition, the family history is extremely important for the characters. Each member of the family is named after a different biblical reference. Some are named after biblical characters, while others are named after sections of the bible or words found in it. This sense of family and religious history defines the characters both by their place in society and through their past. Finally, place history plays a huge role in the town and their culture. For example, they rename the main street to "not doctor street", although it is not officially recognized as such. The name originated many years previously when the town doctor lived on that street. The townspeople allow the past to define their present, even when the past may no longer be relevant.
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