Song of Solomon – Chapter 3 Homework
Please
read Chapter 3 (pages 56-89) and post a comment in response to one of the
following questions. Your response
should include AT LEAST ONE
significant quotation, though you will help yourself if you take notes in your
notebook on more than one quotation.
The first person to comment on a question should comment on my post “Chapter 3 Homework.” If you’re interested in a question someone else has already discussed, please “reply” to the person who has already posted on that question.
The Options (choose at least
1):
1) To what extent is the scene
where Milkman hits his father a turning point? Why?
2) Though Milkman wants to
believe that he is being “wide-spirited and generous” and “defending his
mother” (69) by hitting his father, there is evidence to suggest that deep
down, Milkman has other motives and his actions has unanticipated ripple
effects on his family. Why do his
sisters give him a look of hatred, for instance?
3) What does Macon tell Milkman
about his mother (Ruth)? Do you
believe this story? Why? (Keep in
mind that what Macon claims is “the whole truth” is later modified by Ruth’s
version of the same events). How
does Milkman react to these revelations?
4) Why is Milkman obsessed with
his physical appearance (his limp, lack of mustache, reflection in mirror
p.69)? What’s the deeper
significance/anxiety there?
5) How is Guitar affected by
his past/family history? What does
he associate with the smell of candy?
Why does he tell the hunting story? What do these moments reveal about his character?
6) Other moments and/or themes
you find interesting, puzzling, confusing, fascinating, or otherwise worth
noting?
1) Throughout the book, Macon was always viewed as someone in a position of power and both feared and respected by everyone in the family. He was the one that not only made all the money, but was also physically intimidating and towered over everyone. When Milkman hits his father it changes Milkman from being a little boy, living in his dad’s shadow, into his own person. Before this, Macon “had come to believe, after years of creating respect and fear wherever he put his foot down, after years of being the tallest man in the gatherings, that he was impregnable.” (67) Besides being the starting point of Milkman’s path to maturity, this also marks Macon’s downfall from the tough alpha male and Milkman attempting to step up into it. Although Milkman says he hit his father to protect his mother he later realizes that he did it more for selfish reasons than for anything else.
ReplyDeleteIan is right on the money--can anyone take this idea of Milkaman selfishly claiming the role of "alpha male" by hitting his father?
DeleteKeep in mind though that taking the role of "alpha male" does not necessarily align with "maturity," at least in the sense that you grow to be respectful, able to make good (not impulsive) decisions, and knowing who you are. In other words, physical maturity does not equal emotional/social maturity.
Milkman wants to believe that he is being “wide-spirited and generous” and “defending his mother” (69) by hitting his father, but "He also felt glee. A snorting, horse-galloping glee as old as desire. He had won something and lost something in the same instant" (68), which reveals his other motive for hitting his father. He had not realized how angry he was at Macon until that moment during dinner; that pent-up anger was released and therefore he felt glad and even triumphant for his actions. Even though he gets some satisfaction out of this, he is overwhelmed and does not know how to respond. Morrison notes that "he was not prepared to take advantage of the former, or accept the burden of the latter" (68), which shows he acted out of his feelings in an impulsive way without really thinking about the consequences.
ReplyDeleteTo Milkman, after he hits his father, his sisters eyes looked as if "charcoal lines had been drawn around their eyes; that two drag lines had been smudged down their cheeks, and their rosy lips were swollen in hatred so full it was about to burst through" (68). Although his sisters could have been truly angry at him for striking his father, I see this primarily as Milkman's guilt. Out of his guilt for hitting his father, this illusion of his sisters appears before him. It says that "Milkman had to blink twice before their faces returned to the vaguely alarmed blandness he was accustomed to" (68), which shows not only that what he saw was happening in his mind but also that he had created the illusion. It is apparent that he feels guilty because he quickly leaves the room realizing that "there is no one to thank him". He also realizes that he cannot take back what he did because hitting his father was like taking "new positions on the chessboard" - the game will go on. Moreover, the reference to taking new positions on the chessboard implies that there will be further complications between Macon and Milkman.
Something I found interesting:
- "Sorrow in discovering that the pyramid was not a five-thousand-year...guaranteed to last for a mere lifetime" (68).
I took this as Milkman's disappointment at Macon and how he feels deceived by his father. The pyramid represents Macon and the fact that Milkman calls the pyramid papier-mâché crafted by a clever window dresser (68) shows how his father crumbled in seconds because his father turned out to be somewhat of a fake (like papier-mâché).
The chessboard game will go on--important quotation. There will not only be "further complications between Macon and Milkman" but also there will be complications between...whom?
DeleteInteresting point about whether the sisters are really showing hatred or not. Though, I am not convinced that Milkman feels guilty at all. I think he feels awkward, but he is also incredibly self-righteous about his actions. Regardless, what if the sisters really do show hatred at this moment? Why would they? Can anyone build on Chaewon's point?
I think that the sisters were actually showing hatred, because so far this story has asked us to literally believe several improbable or strange things (Pilate's lack of a navel, Milkman's "limp" etc). Im not sure WHY they would be so angry at him, but I think it's important because it makes Milkman realize they are real people (not shadows or doubles of his mother) and that "there was no one to thank him- or abuse him" (69). Milkman won't get gratitude from his sisters, but he also won't get hit by his father. Maybe they were angry at him for disrupting Macon's tyranny, which is such an important part of their lives. At the beginning of the book it says they're supported/ comforted by Macon's abuse (11) so maybe they react to the shift in power. Then their faces return to "blandness" bc they recognize nothing will actually change in their lives.
Delete4. Milkman is obsessed with his appearance for a few different reasons. The first reason being that he has a limp due to one of his legs being shorter than the other. Thus, making him self-conscious about his physical appearance. Morrison writes “The strut of a very young man trying to appear more sophisticated than he actually was” (62). Milkman’s limp is a positive influence in his life. It allows him to dance with girls and most of all gives him respect of his father, Macon Dead. Even thought he felt pain he thought that if he didn’t show it would impress his father. As Milkman works for his father the public that he is identical to his father soon views him. In response, Milkman changes his entire appearance. He believes that he can never be his father because Macon is perfect. Milkman doesn’t want to be his father because he sees the way he treats his wife and doesn’t want to become that monster. Milkman is different and prefers to stay that way. Milkman wants to be viewed as his own person not a copy of his self-centered father. Lastly, I find it interesting that with all of Milkman’s efforts to differentiate himself from his father he still shares his love of shoes and socks with Macon.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, Milkman's limp actually represents a part of himself that he is curious and still different from everyone else in his community. First, Milkman say's that his limp makes him walk more "sophisticated" (62), and that he says, "Even when everybody was raving about Truman because he had set up the Committee on Civil Rights, Milkman preferred FDR and felt very close to him," (63). Along with "Milkman" meaning "Whiteman" Milkman feels more tied to a president who walks like him over a president who advanced Civil Rights efforts, which was a huge deal for the black community in his town. Therefore, without realizing that he feels it, Milkman may feel more white than the black community that surrounds him and is idiosyncratic.
DeleteMy second conviction for this obsession over his looks is that he looks more womanly or feminine. Usually if your leg sticks out to one side, as if poised, you would look more female. His lack of mustache sets him apart from the men at the barber shop, and Milkman may not be getting the type of attention he wants. I think Milkman wants to be loved in whatever he does, and wants affection, and when he is younger than he feels, he doesn't get that attention.
--Mike Jabour
"if you leg sticks out...you would look more female" Hmm...not sure about this. I think that you are definitely right though that the lack of mustache makes Milkman feel less like a man.
DeleteConsider that Mlikman says his appearance "lacked coherence, a coming together of features into a total self. It was all very tentative...like a man peeping around a corner of someplace he is not supposed to be, trying to make up his mind whether to go forward or turn back" (70). What is Morrison saying here about Milkman's IDENTITY (or lack thereof)?
Matt, or Math, is there textual evidence that Milkman's limp earns his father's "respect?" You're right that Milkman is trying to differentiate himself from his father, but remember, the "limp" is almost completely imaginary, so I don't see how it would earn "respect." The question is WHY is Milkman obessive about his appearance?
DeleteI don't agree that Milkman's limp is a positive influence on his life--he claims it "bothered him" and it is only described as a "deformity (62). It also doesn't give him the respect of his father--I doubt he would even notice it. But Milkman sees his father as perfect, and, knowing he can't emulate him, strives to do the opposite (63), which comes out looking pretty ridiculous. As said in Ms Westbrook's quote on pg 70, he can't decide whether to "go forward or turn back", the former I assume meaning becoming a new person, and the latter, turning into his father. In doing the opposite of his father, he's trying to push forward and around the corner (perhaps even fly around it?), and yet small things, such as shoes and socks, keep him grounded (literally!!).
Delete6.) What I found kind of relevant to one of the themes of this story, is the idea of owning people. When milkman starts to work for his dad, the narration states that "Macon was delighted. His son belonged to him now and not to Ruth," (63). It reinforces the idea that Macon's urge for masculinity is rooted by being a sort of boss to his son. Macon's reveal about Ruth's story certainly ties in with Macon's dignity. He must be wondering how his son could look up to a person like that. Macon's continuing of "owning" people seems to be a way to ultimately stem from his desire to have a sense of self and identity.
ReplyDeleteSo, we have to ask. Is he giving Milkman this information as another form of CONTROL and ownership over his son?
DeleteI feel like Macon will use whatever kind of leverage over Ruth, reliable or not, to try and satisfy his need to be the dominat partner in their relationship. It seems that the way their children side is what gives Macon a sense of dominance.
DeleteIt might mean I'm a bit gullible, but I like to believe the things that characters tell me. The question of whether or not a character is telling the truth can drive me nuts. As Macon was telling the story I really sympathized with him, and I believed him. But then he says, "I swear, many's the day I regret when talked me out of killing her" (74). That is the point when I lost that touch of sympathy for him, because no matter how disgusting what she did is, he should never want to kill her. I think that they may have needed to separate, because I think that what they are doing is hurting both of them. And the point where I think I can start to doubt is when Macon Sr. says, "I can't catch hold of myself quick enough. It just gets out" (74). That is in reference to his desire to want to kill/hit her. At this point I think that Macon is just trying to redeem himself. I think that while it is good to have the knowledge behind the fist, what Macon says is to reestablish dominance. In that way I think maybe the facts of what Macon said is true, but he doesn't seem honest about why he choses to tell Milkman about it. The problem with that assumption is that you then have to doubt everything else that he says. I think that my reaction is an intended part of the reading, as it reflects Milkman's own confusion and doubt.
ReplyDelete-Theo Smith
Keep in mind though, I'm not asking you to consider to what extent you can believe Macon--the TEXT sets you up to ask this. Find the places in Ch. 1&2 that set Macon up as not entirely reliable about the truth. (HINT p. 16) Also consider the information we get in Ch. 3 about Macon's relationship with Dr. Foster, Ruth's father--what are Macon's MOTIVES for believing that there must be an incestuous relationship between Ruth and her father? Why would he almost WANT to believe this in order to justify his hate for her/him?
DeleteTheo's right on 2 counts:
1) "my reaction is an intended part of the reading"--yes, Milkman is confused and doubtful. Even he doesn't trust his father's information (years of not telling your children stuff and being controlling and secretive will do that)
2) "you have to then doubt everything else that he says": Yes, yes you do. You probably have to doubt or at least be willng to question much of what many characters tell you in this story.
Guitar is extremely traumatized by his family history. This links to why he gets sick all the time when he thinks of something sweet other than fruit. After his father got killed in a sawmill, his boss came to give him and his siblings, divinity, in fact. For those of you who don't know, divinity is a almond or walnut flavored meringue. When he says "his wife made it special for us. It's sweet, divinity is. Sweeter than syrup"(61). This quote itself is insignificant, but what I inferred is that the disgust he felt when he realized his fathers boss after his father was "sliced up in a sawmill", came to give them candies for comfort, a very "upper-class" and unsentimental thing to do. The fact that he thought the upper-class associated the "sweet" flavor with comfort was disgusting to him because he felt it was insufficient. Even the name of the dish "Divinity" threatens to downgrade the significance of his own father, which makes him uncomfortable. "Idon't know. It makes me think of dead people. And White people.And I start to puke"(61).Both dead people and white people were involved in the story of his dad.
ReplyDelete1) Milkman hitting his father was a turning point in the novel for many reasons. It shows Milkman's courage to stand up to his father and "protect" his mother. Macon Dead, being the father and only real male figure in the novel was what Milkman had to look up to, and when he hits him after Macon and Ruth fight at dinner it marks the turning point of Milkman becoming the 'man' in the family. Toni writes, “ He had come to believe, after years of creating respect and fear wherever he put his foot down, after years of being the tallest man in the gatherings, that he was impregnable.” (67) He was maturing and growing up and finally breaking out of his father's shadow, something he's been trying to do for a long time.
ReplyDeleteWhile the moment at which Milkman hits his father is a turning point, it is important to note that this happens as a result of something greater. Milkman is only able to transform into the position of the second man because he is earning money for the first time. This is made clear in the very first line of the book where Morrison,"life improved for Milkman enormously after he began working" (56). Only as a result of his growing financial stability was he able to stand up to Milkman. This is interesting to note because it shows the values deeply embedded within society. Although I agree that he is maturing and breaking free of his father's overbearing shadow, it might not be an internal change as much of a change of situation which is entirely different. Maturing naturally is far different than maturing because you have to or because of circumstance. In Milkman's cases I think it is
Deletemore out of circumstance than naturally because it is an effect of him earning money and having a role model other than his father.
1) Macon has had power over his family since the beginning, he has made them view him as a superior and not as someone you can easily approach about anything, much less stand up to him. Macon has also made life for Milkman pretty hard, just because his is Macon's son. Some people are so afraid of Macon that they will steer clear of Milkman as well. Milkman had obviously had enough of this when he hit his father. Milkman, at the age of 22, had finally stood up to his father. It was not only on his part, his anger or rage, it was to protect his mother. But even Milkman knew that it was not going to make a difference, "Quickly he left the room, realizing there was no one to thank him-or abuse him. His action was his alone. It would change nothing between his parents. It would change nothing inside them. He had knocked his father down and perhaps there were some new positions on the chessboard, but the game would go on"(68). This is not as much as a turning point as it is a leveling of the playing field. Milkman had finally stood up to his father, but in a way he had also become his father. This is because he had resorted to violence. Macon was proud of his son, he was happy that Milkman was doing this because Milkman would be faced with the same problems Macon faced. This is not a turning point for the better because even Milkman knew that nothing had changed, but now Milkman was becoming his father in a way. Milkman's sisters now viewed him with hatred, just like his father's many tenants viewed his father. As Milkman left the room, no one thanked him, no one said that what he had done was right. This event is probably just setting the stage for an even bigger confrontation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Phoebe says about Milkman finally standing up to his , I'd say that's the main reason this scene is important. However, I want to add that I don't see it as Macon becoming his father but rather the first step toward Macon becoming his own person. Macon hasn't really done anything his whole life that was a decision made against his father's will, other than talking to Pilate. As an adult he still lives in his father's house and works for his father. When he hits his father, it is him acknowledging that he doesn't like the way his father acts. So while he knew that "it would change nothing between his parents" (68) that doesn't matter. He didn't do it to protect his mother, or teach his father a lesson, he only did it because it was time he made his own choices. This moment of defiance helps him to establish himself as an individual, it is one of the few things he does that is "his alone (68)". I think he is surprised by his own power as much as his father is because afterwards he goes to his room and when he sees his reflection he still sees it as someone only "peeping around the corner" and not fully formed into "a total self (69)."
Delete6) A scene I found really interesting and noteworthy was the scene at Tommy’s Barbershop. We learn a lot about Milkman from this scene and his reactions to Emmett Till’s death. Though everyone is worked up by it, Milkman seems utterly unaffected. He claims Emmett Till “was crazy” (88) and dismisses the incident saying, “yeah, well, fuck Till. I’m the one in trouble” (88). Milkman seems to think that his family problems are more important than this young boy’s gruesome murder. While his situation is messed up, it in no way even compares to Till’s death. Milkman doesn’t understand sympathizing with Till’s situation. He has grown up in a life of luxury, full of fancy cars and undeserved, undying love from his mother. He has always had enough to eat and has someone to have sex with whenever he wants. Unlike those around him, he doesn’t seem to understand that Till’s death represents something bigger; it represents oppression and torment by white people. In history class this year, we learned a lot about Till and how his passing and open-casket funeral sparked a fire in so many people to fight for the rights for African Americans. Milkman has never experienced this unfair treatment by whites. This connects to his name: Milkman, or “white” man. Here we can see how Milkman is selfish and narcissistic.
ReplyDelete6.) I found this chapter to be very disturbing, but also very interesting. One thing that I found to be interesting in this chapter was the mentioning of what seemed to be the dead doctor’s disapproval of skin color. On page 73, when Macon is telling Milkman the story about Ruth, he says that the doctor “wouldn’t have been so worried about what color skin [Lena and Corinthians] had unless they were coming from me.” Later, while Milkman is in the midst of confusion and chaotic thoughts, regarding the new revelations about his mother and grandfather, Milkman says, “That my grandfather was a high-yellow nigger who loved ether and hated black skin. These quotes confuse me, for there is racism in these words, but the doctor himself is black. Is he being racist against people who have the same colored skin as him? Or does he just hate Macon and people like him? Seeing that the doctor is black and Macon is black, I don’t think that the doctor was a racist man. Maybe what the doctor didn’t like were black people who felt were inferior to him and in economic/social status. The doctor, unlike most of the black people in his community was well known and profound. He had a prominent profession and represented an educated and sophisticated man. Macon on the other hand, was not as prominent as the doctor. He was “buying shacks in shacktown,” which was not exactly the most outstanding career and certainly did not stand out to white people the best light. Maybe the doctor disliked Macon and others who had certain jobs or acted in ways that shed a lesser light on people with dark skin.
Delete3) Macon tells Milkman in this chapter that his mother was having an odd sexual relationship with her father, the doctor. This was an especially disturbing scene to me because of the picture that Macon portrayed to Milkman in describing the aftermath of the doctor's death, he said about Ruth "Laying next to him. Naked as a yard dog, kissing him. Him dead and white and puffy and skinny, and she had his fingers in her mouth" (73). This grotesque nature described, borderline incestual, between father and daughter disturbs me greatly and leaves a chilling image in the minds of the readers. I believe Morrison chose such an unambiguously wrong action in order to unite her readers in a common disgust against Ruth, wether or not the allegations are true the seed has been planted for our perception of Ruth as a degenerate and troubled woman. I do actually believe this story because Macon had no need to tell it, if there is anything to be learned from criminal investigating shows it is that a perpetrator won't tell an extraneous lie when he can simply tell the truth or walk away (because that is always easier and safer to do), and therefore Macon could just have easily told Milkman to never hit him again and left it at that however he felt compelled to explain. This doesn't excuse Macon's domestic violence towards his wife but does give the reader some insight as to why it happens and the cause of Macon's profound anger (not to mention why they haven't had sex in 15 years). Milkman understandably takes this new information regarding his mother badly and must make a tough choice in chapters ahead, wether to believe/back the side of his mother or his father who he's hated since he was a child.
ReplyDelete1) When Milkman hits his father it is definitely a turning point because it is our first glimpse of Milkman standing up for his family, and the first time anyone stands up to Macon, creating a skewed version of the one man powered household. Up until this point, Milkman is a young boy who is kicked out of bars and grows up being very insecure with his appearance, but now Morrison describes his as being equal to his powerful and strong father, "Now he crept along the all looking at a man who was as tall as he was--and forty years younger" (67). This proves Milkman's transformation into not only being physically more secure, but also mentally secure enough to stand up to the father that has been putting down his family for years. What really proves this as a turning point is that Macon realizes it as well, which is why he feels ready to tell his son the truth behind the destruction of his parents relationship. This is also why he threatens Milkman never to touch him again because he now knows that his son is not afraid of his power, but that Macon still has age over him.
ReplyDelete4) Milkman is obsessed with the way he looks because a lot of people tell him he looks just like his father. Milkman is a bit disgusted by the idea of looking like his fat he, so he tries his hardest to be different from his father. One way that he discovered to achieve this difference is by being his dad's opposite physically and emotionally. "It was tall tentative, the way he looked, like a man peeping around a corner of someplace he is not supposed to be.....trying not to thin of how his father had looked creeping along the wall, he heard a knock at his door."(69) This was slightly before Macon Dead rushes to discuss with Milkman over the punch incident. Milkman believes he's missing some touches to make his physical appearance look different. To look more like Mlikman and not like anyone else, "a coming together of the features into a total self."(69)
ReplyDeleteI think that Milkman is aware of his appearance because it separates him from his father. As Milkman discusses his limp and lack of mustache he remarks, "Milkman feared his father, respected him, but knew, because of the leg, that he could never emulate him. So he differed from him as much as he dared" (63) It is interesting here that Milkman would want to look like his father out of "fear" and "respect" rather than normal admiration causing imitation. Perhaps Milkman would like to avoid seeming to be a worse version of his father, and would instead like to distance himself so they seem like separate people. The thought process here I also found interesting -- Milkman's relationship with his father seems to leave a lot to be desired, so why would he want to be like him in the first place? Does Milkman think that being exactly like his father will improve their relationship?
ReplyDeleteChapter 4:
ReplyDeleteI think that Milkman is somewhat responsible for his "boring life". Like his father, he doesn't seem confident in who he truly is. He is also unable to grasp the love his mom and Hagar have for him, because he is unable to feel emotionally relate to anyone but himself. However, I think that whether he wants to admit it or not, Milkman is his father's son as evidenced when Milkman takes pride in feeling a sense of power or control over someone. If Milkman was brought up in a different household, then things might have been different.
I agree with you Neethi. He is somewhat responsible for his boring life. He has never really taken any real risks, he has gone with what is expected of him. His father expects him to work and so he works. His mother expects him to love her and so he does. This is the same for Hagar, but Milkman has gone along with Hagar and what she wants for so long that he has become bored. But he doesn't break it of with her right away. He says next year, though when he says it it is Christmas, but it is still putting it off. He could have ended it very soon after the beginning and started fresh, but he doesn't. He also could have said no to working for his father. As Neethi said, the feeling Milkman has because of being in control of someone spawned from his father controlling him. He has been controlled all his life and he can finally control other people, though it makes his life boring, he is unconsciously staying in his position.
DeleteI agree with both of you about it being mostly Milkman's fault. However, I think he differs from Macon in that he's indecisive about his life's direction. Macon says forcefully to "own things" but Milkman puts off deciding what he'll do- which is a way of yielding to the inevitable but boring path of his dad's real estate business. On pg. 69, after Milkman's gained power by hitting his father, Morrison says, "Milkman fiddled with things on his dresser. There was a pair of silver-backed brushes...a constant reminder of what [Ruth's] wishes for him were- that he not stop his education at high school, but go on to college and medical school." Milkman has to decide what job he'll take as a grownup, whether to become a doctor like Ruth wants, or stay in Macon's company. By "fiddling" and not deciding, Milkman is giving up control and acquiescing to an occupation he hates. On pg. 107, Morrison writes that Milkman "had to admit right away that real estate was of no real interest to him. If he had to spend the rest of his life thinking about rents and property, he'd lose his mind." And yet Milkman doesn't DO anything to change his boring life, which makes me not sympathize with him. Although I do wonder if he'll make a drastic decision sometime? Or will he just lose his mind??
DeleteI agree with Neethi, but I also agree with Meredith in which, I don't believe it's all Milkman's fault. As the son of Macon, Macon's teachings rub off on Milkman and therefore some of the choices made by Milkman are very influential. An example would be his search for a wife because he seems like he has a better time with Hagar than with other women, so why search for a bride. His reason was for the money and the way that Macon taught him to be successful was to be successful economically. I also think that Macon's power rubbed on Milkman in which Milkman became and feels powerful, which makes his life progressively boring because no one has stepped up to him. The reason I believe it is Milkman's fault though is because he never gave Hagar a fair chance to love him and him love her back. He is ignorant and doesn't allow himself to love Hagar or his mother as a fact. Milkman is responsible for his boredom because of the choices he made.
Delete2) I think that although Milkman claims he hit his father in order to protect his mother, there are other motives that are more self-serving. I think he just wanted to feel powerful for once, and to make up for his insecurities by portraying himself as the dominant member of the household. After he hit his father, Milkman says he "felt glee" and that he could see "infinite possibilities and enormous responsibilities stretched out before him" (68). It seems to me that he is happy after hitting his father because he feels like he is in control, and was successful in proving his manhood. This can be seen in how he thinks that he now has "enormous responsibilities" because he feels as if he is now officially a grown man as he just bested his father.
ReplyDelete-Jessica
Chapter 4:
ReplyDeleteMilkman is certainly no longer a passive character. We get a lot of insight into his character, and he seems selfish and shallow. He thinks he can use people and then dispose of them once he is no longer interested, like with Hagar. She loves him, and after more than a dozen years Milkman only considers Hagar as “the third beer” (91). The beer that you drink because “it’s there, because it can’t hurt, and because what difference does it make” (91)? He dumps her through a letter and expects that everything will be “settled”. He doesn’t worry about her feelings and is extremely insensitive in this way. Another moment I found interesting and revealing was the story about Pilate threatening Reba’s boyfriend with the knife. Milkman was “delighted with the performance and followed Hagar into the house to laugh and talk excitedly about it” (95). He doesn’t seem to recognize that Reba was just beaten and taken to the hospital and that it was a very traumatic event.
Milkman also has nothing in his life that interests him. His life is “pointless” for many reasons. Milkman himself is very responsible for the fact that “boredom, which had begun as a mild infection, now took him over completely” (90). For one, he seems uninterested in love. He also seems to reject the love that others give him (Hagar, his mother, etc). His life revolves around parties and working at Sonny’s Shop, and he doesn’t seem to want to do anything to change that. The privileges he has received in life and his family’s wealth also contribute to his boredom, as has nothing to fight for and doesn’t have any clear goals. He is uninterested in the civil rights cause, because he cannot sympathize with other African Americans and the mistreatment that they have received (flashback to the Emmett Till incident and his response). The community around him, however, reinforces this. They treat Milkman differently, almost as if he were a white man, which doesn’t help his being unable to relate. While I think that his family, his circumstances, and his community are all to blame to some extent, Milkman himself is primarily responsible.
Like Laura said, I also believe that the privileges Milkman has received contribute to his boredom. Milkman grew up in a nice home and his family has money. Because of his lack of deprivation, Milkman does not understand the value of everything he has because nothing has really been taken away from him. Also, Milkman has lived under a father who has used fear to gain respect and control over others. Macon's attitude is one that says he thinks he is better than others and therefore should be in control. These attitudes rub off onto Milkman for when told the story of Emmett Till, Milkman did not really show any interest because he thought his problems were bigger. Although many things from his family and environment attribute to Milkman's boredom, Milkman is still at fault too. Milkman is a grown man and he has made decisions on his own. When Macon first wanted Milkman to join him in the real estate business, Milkman could have said no, but he didn't. When he felt that he longer wanted to be with Hagar, he could have broke things off with her, but he didn't and waited even longer until he finally broke up with her through a letter. These decisions were all made by Milkman himself and he could have easily chose different paths and made himself a different life.
DeleteI do believe, as Lisa and Laura have pointed out, that much fault for Milkman's boredom comes from himself and his own actions. However we must also take into account the extremely messed up family Milkman comes from. His dad is an abusive and harsh man who has shown no love for any of his family, especially his wife who he hits often and disrespects in front of his kids. Milkman's mother was, at least we are meant to believe, involved in an incestual relationship with her father and perhaps even so far as necrophilia. Milkman's aunt is a crazy wine maker who acts sporadically and sometimes violently, and her daughters act plain weird. So while Milkman's superiority complex can be aggravating at times it also shows us the toll his family has had on him and how he copes with their many issues in his day to day life. The moral of this post is not how great a person Milkman is or how he isn't bored constantly (which he is), but instead an attempt at furthering the age old expression "don't judge a book by its cover" and looking at the protagonist in a different light.
DeleteI totally agree with Lisa and Laura, and would like to add that part of Milkman being lost and confused with his life at this time in the book is also the result of a lack of commitment or seriousness. Milkman has girlfriends for a few months and then dumps them, or thinks of himself as a "pampered honey bear," (91) implying his laziness and lack of commitment to any given cause. When Guitar tries to have a real conversation with Milkman, Milkman accuses him of treating him like a school child, which is exactly what he is. On page 106, "Looks like everybody's going in the wrong direction but you don't it?"... "Maybe" he said, "But I know where I'm going." "Where?" "Wherever the party is."
DeleteI guess to sum it all up, Milkman's way of getting things without effort or commitment lead to his dissatisfaction and inability to understand where he's headed.
Also one last good quote I found was "There was nothing he wanted bad enough to risk anything for, inconvenience himself for." 107()
__Mike Jabour
I agree with what you guys had to say about Milkman's development as a character and Milkman's boredom that seems to envelope him. Just adding more quotations to back up the statements, Milkman seems very insensitive when he tells his "dream" about Ruth and how she was being attacked by the plants. Guitar asked why he did not help her out and Milkman's reply was "But she liked it. She was having fun. She liked it" (105). Then Guitar goes on to say that "Looks like everybody's going in the wrong direction but you, don't it?" (106), which shows that Milkman is always the odd one out in the crowd. That makes sense since for example, in the barber shop, Milkman does not seem to connect with the other people and just stands there. He is not going in the "right" direction with everyone else, but instead, he seems to fight the current; he has his own stubborn views (like that time when he was walking down the street and nobody seemed to be going his way).
DeleteI think it's important reiterate what Laura said about Milkman not being able to sympathize with other African Americans, but I think it's not just the community that isolates Milkman; Milkman himself does not try to fit into the community. It seems like he prefers to act like a white person. When Guitar and Milkman are having a conversation about how Milkman has a beach house, Milkman says "What's wrong with Negroes owning beach houses? What do you want, Guitar? You mad at every Negro who ain't scrubbing floors and picking cotton. This ain't Montgomery, Alabama" (104). Milkman is being surprisingly racist to African Americans even though he is African American himself. He is ignorant and insensitive of the fact that the many African Americans are not doing as well as he is financially. In a way, by not engaging in conversations in barbershops regarding racial issues, he is perhaps distancing himself from the African American crowd purposefully other than the fact that he simply does not fit in. Without trying to understand the people and circumstances that surround him, he considers his life "boring". Freddie says to open his eyes and see what is around him, but ultimately Milkman is unable to do this because his focus is on going the opposite direction from everyone else (106).
I love that line, "look like everybody's going in the wrong direction but you, don't it? (106). It reminds me of people in who like to blame other people/have anger and control issues, because they tend to believe that "everyone else is wrong" rather than admit that they, themselves, might be wrong. I think Guitar is poking fun at Milkman's self-righteous indignation here, and calling him out for being a know-it-all who's willing to say that everyone ELSE is going in the wrong direction.
DeleteI think Milkman's boredom can be tied to his lack of struggle in life, as a few people have said. I extend this to his "relationship" with Hagar. He takes the relationship for granted and clearly doesn't put significant value on the relationship. For the christmas gift, an ideal boyfriend would have thought ahead for something she would have liked or appreciated, spent time finding the gift and likely spent some money on it. Milkman's indifference is expressed by his lack of concern for her gift. He goes out at the last minute to find something, and is eventually too lazy even for that and decides to give her money. Considering the fact that they have mostly a casual sexual relationship, the reader could view this as some sort of glorified prostitution. He puts no real value on her, calling her "the third beer" (91), has no concern for her feelings, and more or less pays her to be in the relationship with him, in which there is little more than sex. Milkman is self-righteous to the point that he can't see his own misdeeds, and assumes he is doing the right thing by getting her a gift, even if it is just money.
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