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Song of Solomon: Milkman's Identity

The Song of Solomon definitely caught us off guard at first; there was so much going on to say the least. I think the most perplexing character is Milkman, because up until the more recent chapters he was the only character that didn't really have much of anything going on. He was in the same limbo state that we saw with Clarissa Dalloway, he is middle aged and is kind of settling for life. It's too late for him to really choose a career path, yet he's not necessarily happy with the way things are going for him now. Most of the time his identity is attached to that of his father or from the unfortunate nickname of Milkman. However, we see some sort of shift in him when he begins to travel and learn about his family. Milkman begins to discover his identity when he leaves to travel alone. Towards the start of his journey he still has an identity that is tied to his father, but his outlook on the gold changes. However, it's still significant to note that while he is traveling he never introduces himself as Milkman. But when he arrives to the small town in the middle of no where, nobody knows him, people don't know his father so he has his own sense of identity. He is traveling alone and it's just him and the people of the town. But throughout the journey he does things because he wants to and is not bound by anyone else. It's the first time we also really see a personality out of him. Overall, the journey seems to be doing some good for him and allowing him to reflect without the pressure of anyone there. However, he still clearly has much to learn. 

Comments

  1. MaddieDecember 16, 2022 at 7:52 AM

    I agree with your points on the development of Milkman's identity throughout the novel. I think that the shift of his character when he goes out traveling alone is a crucial moment to the shaping of Milkman. He's able to see the world through a much broader lens and leave behind the aspects of himself that were previously engrained in him, such as his name Milkman.

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  2. Olivia ThompsonDecember 17, 2022 at 7:07 PM

    I definitely agree, the shift we saw when Milkman went searching for the gold was really surprising to me. Personally, I actually felt a lot more attached to the story, and specifically Milkman as a character. I felt like he became a lot more likeable when his personality was shown independently instead of tied to his father. I wish we could have discussed more about his relationship with his father as it pertains to the end.

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  3. Yelim KimDecember 19, 2022 at 1:28 PM

    Yeah agree with your points on the ways that Milkman develops throughout his journey. It's also interesting to point out how Milkman not only learns about his own identity through his journey but also the identity of his family, which in turn helps bring out his own personalities and allows him to learn to understand the perspective and behavior of other people (ex. Ruth being celibate from age 20-40) better.

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  4. MitchellDecember 20, 2022 at 2:41 PM

    The comparison to Clarissa's midlife crisis is interesting, and I don't think I've considered these two characters together like this before. One big difference that strikes me, although they both have a kind of malaise about their seemingly directionless or passionless lives, is that Clarissa is obsessed with this time when she was younger and she HAD and MADE a choice that determined her life. She might have vague regrets, as well as a deep conviction that she chose well when she married Richard--but at least she can reflect on a choice she has made. Milkman's youth and young adulthood is almost entirely devoid of him making these kinds of choices: his job falls into his lap (literally his dad says "Show up to work tomorrow" and that's that), his girlfriend seduces him when he's younger and less experienced, and he just rides this relationship for the next 12 years without choosing to act one way or the other, he never moves out of his parents' house. There is the ironic and funny passage where he "chooses" to have a moustache or cut his hair slightly differently from his father, but Morrison makes clear that in the essential ways he has just slid into his role as Macon's assistant--and they both favor fancy socks and shoes. He certainly doesn't choose or have any control over his nickname, which he experiences as a burden. At least Clarissa, who at one point ponders what it means to "be Mrs. Richard Dalloway," exercised some degree of choice in not becoming "Mrs. Peter Walsh." Compared to Milkman's malaise, where there aren't even choices for him to regret, having a midlife crisis over doubts about her marriage sounds like a pretty good deal! And before his transformation, I would say that Clarissa generally seems "happier" than Milkman, despite her deep misgivings.

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