Song of
Solomon
Chapter
8 Homework Assignment
Choose
1. Write a paragraph. Use at least
ONE quotation.
1) To what extent do you see
Milkman’s character evolving throughout the gold-stealing episode in chapters
7&8? Does he take any steps
forward in self-actualization (knowing who he is and what he wants)? Does he take steps backward in his
personal growth? How so?
2) How can we read the white
peacock and both Milkman and Guitar’s reactions to it (178-179) as a larger
metaphor or message on Morrison’s part?
How does the peacock add to the theme of flying? What is significant
about this encounter?
3) What is revealed about each
character in the conversation directly following the peacock (179-180), in
which each fantasizes about how to spend the gold?
As always, feel free to
suggest your own questions/comments/observations as a substitute for the above.
On the topic of the white peacock, I think Guitar’s reaction to it and his explanation of why the peacock can’t fly “no better than a chicken” is significant. He explains to Milkman, “All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity...Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down” (179). The juxtaposition between the ‘jewelry’ and the portrayal of the peacock’s tail, usually seen as beauty, to something working against the peacock was very much a demonstration of Guitar’s perspective on matters. Flying is a motif in this book and Guitar’s last line speaks, not only to the peacock, but anyone trying to escape from their present situation, be it Mr. Smith ‘flying’ off Mercy or the slaves in the excerpt we read. Interestingly, this peacock is specifically described as white. Guitar’s first instinct is to chase down and kill the peacock, just as he does to the innocent whites he kills. This may be a commentary some of the black community’s ‘revenge’ on the white community and how some whites also became victims and how they also wanted to ‘fly away.’ The peacock is yet again mentioned after Milkman’s revelation (bottom of page 183, this is more about Milkman’s self=actualization), when Milkman and Guitar decide to carry out on the plan to steal back PIlate’s gold. The peacock “spread its tail” (185), earlier explained by Guitar as something that ‘weighs you down.’ This may be foreshadowing the consequences of Guitar and Milkman’s proceeding actions and how their decision to steal the ‘gold’ will end up weighing them down.
ReplyDelete3. This section reveals to us a lot about who Guitar and Milkman were before they grew up and changed. Thinking about the possibility of gold makes the two men forget all of their problems and concerns with the world and revert back to immaturity. In thinking of the money, Milkman wants to fly and move, just as he did as a little boy. Morrison writes, “Milkman wanted boats, cars, airplanes, and the command of a large crew” (179). Milkman’s first disappointment was when he learned that he would never be able to fly, something that made him feel his life was pointless and made him live without conviction (as we discussed today in class) from a very young age. I found it very interesting that his first aspiration with the possibility of becoming rich is being able to achieve the dream he had from birth. It is possible that Milkman thinks that being able to do this will allow him to find his other motivations and goals in his life that he feels is aimless and allows him to be used by those around him.
ReplyDeleteAdding on to what Sophie says, I think that the talk about desires highlights the divide that may be growing between Guitar and Milkman. They have made up after their fight, but no longer tell each other everything that goes on in their lives; they have lost the honesty of their relationship as boys and young men. Midway through the conversation, Milkman goes off on a tangent about how he "wanted to beat a path away from his parents' past" (180) and all the things that he hated. He displays a larger degree of reflection on himself during this monologue, saying "he avoided commitment and strong feelings, and shied away from decisions" (180). However, Milkman shares none of these aspirations and reflections with Guitar. He just continued to "scream and shouted 'Wooeeeee!' at Guitar's list" (180) the whole time.
DeleteAt the end of the listing of the things they would do with the gold, we get a glimpse into Guitar's head when Morrison says he "smiled at the sun, and talked lovingly of televisions, and brass beds, and week-long card games, but his mind was on the wonders of TNT" (181). Guitars' involvement in the Seven Days has ostracized him mentally from the people he used to be close with like Milkman. Although Milkman thought in his monologue that Guitar was sincere in what he wanted, even if he sees a different quality in Guitar's face that makes him want to ask if Guitar has killed yet. Guitar's conversation was completely superficial, when he actually has an ulterior motive that Milkman nor anyone else knows of.
I agree that we get a glimpse into Guitar's past, and how it sharply contrasts with where he is today. Guitar "allowed himself the pleasure of waking up to old dreams" (179). To Guitar, his family is what makes him happy. The idea of supporting them and being necessary to them is extremely pleasing to him compared to his current situation, indicated by the word "pleasure." Guitar, however, continues to demonstrate his cynical side, for "his mind was on the wonders of TNT" (181). Guitar, no matter how pleasing to him it may be, accepts his dreams of helping his family as reality and further accepts his duty and responsibility to the Seven Days.
DeleteI do not, however, see Milkman's childhood in his dreams here. Although he does briefly mention flying in an airplane, as Sophie pointed out, but he comes to realize that this is not at the root of his dreams. Milkman discovers that what he truly wants is to “beat a path away from his parents’ path” (180). First, beating a path is rather the opposite of flying- walking. Secondly, this desire of his did not merge from his childhood. He only first wanted to leave home in his 30’s. In addition, Milkman’s dreams regarding his family specifically oppose those of Guitar. Guitar wants his family to be dependent on him in all ways, whereas Milkman desperately wants liberation from the ties he has to his family and those around him. We also see that Milkman is not necessarily meandering through life with no direction, he’s is just struggling to find a method to create something of his own.
There is an interesting theme of childhood and purity in this chapter, which is deeply tied to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and Guitar’s duty, as the Sunday man, to kill four white girls in retaliation. He is haunted by “little scraps of Sunday school dresses--white and purple, powder blue, pink and white, lace and voile, velvet and silk, cotton and satin, eyelet and grosgrain” (173). In his waking hours he can justify his role in the Days to himself, but in his dreams the truth of his immorality creeps in. Easter, and its imagery, is used in significant ways. The scraps of Sunday school dresses are described as hanging “quietly, like the whole notes in the last measure of an Easter hymn” (173). In this context, Easter seems to represent innocence and a fresh start, which connects to its religious meaning of the “Risen Son” and humanity having a clean slate (185). At the end of the chapter, the color of the sack that Milkman and Guitar believe holds the gold is described as the “green of Easter eggs left too long in the dye” (185). The white eggs have lost their color, and thus their purity, and are now seeped in green, which has connotations of greed and envy. The act of stealing the gold is also tied up in this theme of virginity. Guitar reacts to the image of the gold by saying, “Legal tender. Sounds like a virgin bride” (174). This was a strange phrase because gold is often associated with corruption and greed, but he sees it as something pure and untouched. That is especially odd in this context because the gold was attained with blood the first time, and he is willing to shed blood to gain it now. The image of a “virgin bride” brings to mind the white of a wedding dress and innocence, with a bit of gold--the wedding band. This image contrasts greatly with Milkman’s description of his childhood as one of “septic sheets, heavy with the odor of illness, misery, and unforgiving hearts” (180). Milkman never had that childhood innocence because of the bizarre nature of his parents’ relationship and the way in which Ruth used him sexually. Another instance of this theme is when Morrison draws an analogy between having sex for the first time and killing someone for the first time. Milkman is like “a teenage girl wondering about the virginity of her friend” when he obsessively tries to discover whether Guitar has killed anyone yet (176). This analogy adds significance to the fact that what is possibly Guitar’s first kill is the murder of four innocent white girls.
ReplyDeleteThe split between Guitar and Milkman can be seen in their differing interpretations of the “pure white peacock” they see on the roof (179). Milkman assumes that is is female and feels his old “unrestrained joy at anything that could fly” (178). Guitar, however, declares that it is male and immediately associates it with money. He speaks of its “tail full of jewelry” (178). This is paralleled by Macon’s reaction to the gold in Chapter 7: “Life, safety, and luxury fanned out before him like the tail-spread of a peacock” (170). He declares that if “you wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down” (179). This can be applied to Milkman: he is tied down by his life of wealth and luxury. However, Milkman sees the gold as his ticket to fly.
The expansion of the peacock metaphor in this chapter really interests me. In chapter 7, Macon Jr. discovers the gold and sees “life, safety, and luxury fanned out before him like the tail spread of a peacock” (170). The peacock metaphor shows that Macon’s goals are unrealistic and impermanent. A peacock looks like an ordinary bird most of the time, and reveals its beautiful feathers only on occasion. Macon Jr., exposed to wealth momentarily, quickly becomes establishes attaining excess wealth as his goal, and transforms from being a humble farm boy into an aggressive money-grubber.
ReplyDeleteIn this chapter, the peacock is described in more depth, and it is revealed that the peacock is white. This is significant because throughout the book white has symbolized evil and death. Like Macon Jr., however, Guitar and Milkman’s dreams of wealth prevent them from actually doing anything, and they lose track of the peacock before they can catch it.
One part of the anecdote that stood out was the fact that Guitar attributes a peacock’s inability to fly with vanity, because a peacock has “too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity” (179). This made me consider what “the shit that weighs [other characters] down” (179) is. The aspect of this quote I find the most interesting is the implications it has on the gender balance in the novel. Guitar comments that the peacock’s “a he. The male is the only one got that tail full of jewelry” (178). It is interesting that while the male is more beautiful and complex, the female is the one with the ability to fly. The female is less burdened, and, in a way, has the most power. This seems to contradict the subjugation that characterizes the women (with the exception of Pilate) in all of their relationships with men in the novel. However, this power could be indirect, as the men in the novel seem to act in reaction, albeit sometimes adversely, to the love the women show them.
The peacock that appears to Milkman and Guitar seems to be symbolic of a few things. One thing that it has ties to is wealth When the peacock opens up his tail Guitar says, “Thats a he. The male is the only one got that tail full of jewelry.”(178) The connection to jewelry makes the peacock seem valuable and wealthy to both Milkman and Guitar. Right after they see this gaudy display by the bird Guitar says that they should catch it. Here Morrison connects the peacock to the gold that the two men are about to steal. Guitar wanting to catch the bird shows how he has a desire to own things that he sees as valuable, just like how is going to try and steal the gold. Another interesting part of this passage is how the peacock is related to flying. Milkman notes that the bird can’t fly any better than a chicken can, and Guitar’s reasoning for this is, “Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity.”(179) The jewelry here is wealth and having too much of it makes it impossible for you to fly. Earlier in the book Milkman had a fascination with flying and was upset when he learned he couldn’t. This is saying that he will never be able to fly or reach his dreams unless he gets rid of everything weighing him down.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you! With the gold that Milkman and Guitar were going to steal, Guitar knew that he could achieve what he really wanted out of life by using it. However, Milkman at this point in the book isn’t really sure of what he wants. He just knows that he wants to leave and become his own person. When Milkman is talking to Guitar about leaving Guitar says, “On your own? With a million-dollar wallet, you call that on your own?” (181). Guitar is saying that Milkman will never become his own person and self reliant if he simply turns to money to solve all of his problems. Also, with a “million-dollar wallet” Milkman will be able to do whatever he desires and it’s probable that he will never find what he truly wants out of life because he’ll be the man who has everything. I agree that Milkman needs to get rid of everything weighing him down in order to achieve his dreams and I also think that Guitar makes a good point by saying that milkman won’t be “on his own” if he has enough money to last him a lifetime. He’ll still feel the comfort and security that he feels now while he’s at home.
DeleteI was also very interested in the peacock metaphor and what it stood for. I first noted that the fact that the peacock's tail was open prevented it from taking flight due to the fact that it was being weighed down. I found that to be a metaphor for the action that Milkman and Guitar are going to do (steal the gold) and they way that they were going to spend it. It showed me the difference between the two characters because Guitar plans to spend it on his cause for the 7 days organization and Milkman plans to use it only for himself. This difference makes me think that Milkman is more individualistic in his actions because he wants the money to "get away" and "get out of here. Be on my own"(181). This shows that he is sick and tiered of his (quite decent) life and he wants to escape his family and community and go out into the world to find himself. These qualities were not displayed at all by Guitar showing that he is much more materialistic and is more dedicated to a sub-community that he is in than he is to himself.
DeleteMilkman has had random bursts of individualism. He stood up for himself and others when he punched his father, broke up with Hagar, and most recently, when he debated with Guitar. However, he hasn't become completely independent yet. Milkman is delighted when his plan to steal gold from Pilate makes "Guitar warm and joking again, his face open and smiling instead of with that grim reaper look" (176). Milkman misses his friend, the one friend he relied on and learned from instead of spending time with his family. Milkman noticed that Guitar was distant and finally found out why, but Milkman also realizes that for the first time in his life he doesn't agree with what Guitar is doing. That is huge, though Milkman has returned to being passive. Milkman reasons with himself that "maybe he could ask him one day, but not this day when it was so much like old times" (177). Milkman is cautious to do anything because he thinks he's finally got his friend back. Milkman wants to know if Guitar has killed anyone yet, but he is in denial about Guitar being part of the Seven Days and doesn't want to lose his friend again. I definitely understand why Milkman wouldn't want to ruin the familiarity of the situation again, but it was clear that he obviously doesn't like the Seven Days and their tactics. As he continues to not acknowledge Guitar's new role in society, Milkman remains oblivious to Guitar's very real job of become a cold hearted murderer.
ReplyDeleteSomething I thought was interesting was the scene where Milkman and Guitar arrive in Pilate's house to steal the gold. What they are met with is a blackness that "neither had seen" before (185). Also in contrast to the hot night, the room was "cold as ice" (185). The characteristics of the room seem to be a commentary on Milkman and Guitar's search for gold. The room is an sharp contrast with the outside world, making this search for gold seem like an empty one. Instead of trying to live their life both Guitar and Milkman have been consumed with the want of gold. So much so that they look past the fact that there probably isn't any gold in the first place. This is ironic because Guitar himself was telling Milkman he does not need wealth, and he should just live his life. Yet, Guitar himself is chasing after this fool's gold that does not exist.
ReplyDeleteOnce Milkman and Guitar have spotted the white peacock Milkman asks, "How come it can't fly no better than a chicken?". Guitar responds with, "Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity...Wanna fly, you got to give up that shit that weighs you down" (179). When I think about flying in symbolism, I think of it having a positive connotation. You fly to Heaven in the sky, where as Hell is underneath the ground. Flying can represent rising above obstacles and achieving your dreams. Flying can represent freedom, spreading your wings. This peacock has a tail, "full of jewelry" that "weighs it down". This is a symbol that directly relates to what Macon Jr and now even Milkman value in life, money, wealth, and material. What the bird suggests is that in order to live life to the fullest and most joyous extent, you have to simplify your life from excess material. This brings us back to our Transcendentalism unit. Too much material will cause you to lose touch of what is necessary to own and what isn't. This weighs one down because the importance of life is to create strong relationships with people, not to own enormous amounts of material. When a person dies people care much more about their loved ones and friends than about how much money they earned. Giving up an obsession with money will allow you to soar higher.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your response Eli. Morrison repeatedly suggests that in order to live contentedly, once must make an effort to rid their lives of material excess. Milkman tells Guitar that his motive for stealing the gold is to gain independence from his father, he tells guitar, “I need it to get away. I told you, man. I got to get out of here. Be on my own.”(181) Guitar replies by asking if liviing with a "million-dollae wallet" is really living independently, "On your own? With a million dollar wallet, you call that on your own?”(181). Does Milkman own his money or does Milkman's money own him? Does wealth lead to inner-happiness and independence?
DeleteIn the chapter, Milkman's character is not completely revealed just yet, but the reader does receive glimpses into his mind. Going into the chapter, Milkman is a simple character. He is a thirty-something year old man who still has not found out what he wants to do in life and spends all his free time indulging in material pleasures. He has no real concept of love and breaks up with his long-term girlfriend with a thank you note. Milkman seems to be the classic immature male character, but this chapter begins to shift the reader's view.
ReplyDeleteNow, this is totally just my opinion. I think Milkman is not immature. At least, not immature in the way we think so. Milkman has a fight authority type mentality; he is a rebel. He takes up going to fancy beach parties and meeting women because he notices those around him becoming more socially aware and he does not want to be like them. Even though he is ironically, at the same time, trying to fit in with the rich black folks, he has this mentality that is based on pushing radical blacks away from him. I'm not sure if I'm doing a great job of explaining this; it seemed so simple in my mind but it's getting harder and harder to put into words. We also saw this rebellious attitude earlier in the book when Milkman "differ[s] from [Macon] as much as he dared" (63). He strives to be the opposite of his father pretty much just for the sake of being different. The point of this all is that in this chapter, Milkman notices that Guitar is returning to how he used to be as a teenager, immature and mischievous. Milkman becomes "cautious" (181) as he realizes he does not want to steal the gold now that Guitar is so eager to do so. Milkman begins "stalling" (182) and trying to steer Guitar away from the plan but fails to do so. To me, at least, Milkman's character became clearer. He is sort of a hypocrite who turns on his word if it means he gets to fight authority or trend. Maybe this isn't the case, but this is how I interpreted it.
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ReplyDeleteTo me the peacock was a metaphor for Milkman's inability to fabricate his life. A peacock, with its heavy tail cannot fly. Milkman metaphorically speaking is unable to fly as well. He is hindered down by his materialistic values, his family’s values, and his own apathy. Milkman is so distraught by his past that he explains the reason he can't "fly" [go] with the plan is because "he had simply not believed it before" (183). Throughout his life the stories he had been told by his parents have been false or largely changed. He does not know what to believe anymore; he simply can't fly. While Guitar is setting up a plan for how to get the gold and how to use his money well, Milkman is thinking about how the plan is a "Jack and the Beanstalk tail."
ReplyDeleteEventually, at the end of the chapter Milkman has the realization that he has been held back his whole life; and will no longer take it. On page 184 Morrison explains that Milkman "felt a self inside himself emerge, a clean-lined definite self" (184). He needs Danger, adventure, and risk. The only other time in his life he truly put himself in a confrontation was when he hit his father; however, that was not even special. After the realization Milkman has, Morrison exclaims, "The peacock spread its tail" (184). This was a captivating way to bring the metaphor to a close. In the same way the peacock is attempting to fly by spreading its tail, Milkman is attempting to fly by finally doing something confrontational/dangerous with his life.
I thought the passage about Milkman and fear was interesting. Milkman says that he “thrives” and “gravitates toward” those “who inspired fear”, such as “[his] father, Pliate, Guitar”(177). He also says that he is “envious of their fearlessness”(177). Milkman seems to be contradicting himself with what he said in Chapter 7, about others “using” him. I think Jonny was right during 4 corners when he said that if Milkman truly felt “used”, he could have chosen not to listen to Macon’s story. It is clear now that what he felt was “fear”, and he seems to be powerless against this “fear”. Although he tries to portray himself as a martyr-like victim who accepts the insecurities of all, he seems to be the dependent one in all of these relationships; it almost seems as though he needs to feel “fear” in the relationships he has with others. This may explain Milkman’s reaction after he hit his father. Milkman wanted to pretend as though nothing had happened because he wanted to continue seeing his father as a fearful and therefore reverential being. I think this also explains Milkman’s anxious yet thrilled curiosity about Guitar’s crimes.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that Milkman is actually stealing Pilates gold. Did Macon really do that good of a job convincing Milkman to steal the gold, because to steal gold from Pilate, the woman who almost killed a man at knife point for beating Reba, is pretty ballsy. Maybeit wasn't Macon that convinced Milkman into stealing the gold, maybe Milkman just wants to restore his friendship with Guitar and go back to the good old days of juvenile delinquency with Guitar. I feel like Milkman is desperately trying not to lose Guitar. "Obviously, he couldn't pull it off alone, but maybe he wanted to see Guitar warm and joking again, his face open and smiling insteadofwith that grim reaper look." (176) Milkman describes Guitar lately by saying he has a "grim reaper look" but he doesn't want to ask Guitar whether he has killed anyone yet because he's so afraid that he might lose his best friend if he asks, he wanted to maintain the happinessand fun inbetween them. So instead of asking Guitar anything, Milkman just has "fun" with Guitar. I think that sooner or later Milkman will eventually join the seven days group, just so that he can keep his best friend because Milkman is already showing that he'l do practically anything Guitar says to make him happy with the peacock, by stealing the gold even when the risk is very high, and by somewhat becoming part of the seven days group by nottalking about it at all with Guitar or anyone.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised by Milkman’s spontaneous mental maturation during this chapter. Up until now, it’s been very clear that Milkman is an extremely passive character: staying detached from race politics, feeling “used” by others, etc. But when Guitar tries to wake up Milkman from his self-created isolation by aggressively repeating that he needs to live his life, Milkman undergoes development. Milkman immediately feels unable to speak, as if his mouth were filled with a salt “that lay in the bottom of the sea and in the sweat of a horse’s neck. A taste so powerful and necessary that stallions galloped for miles and days for it” (183). The return of the galloping horse re-conjures the image of the “galloping” joy Milkman felt after socking Macon--suggesting that, as a result of the maturity/independence/masculinity he feels after being told to “Live the motherfuckin life!” (183), Milkman is developing an stance in relation to the complex world around him, a “self inside himself...a clean-lined definite self” (183).
ReplyDeleteI think this is a really cool point. The reemergence of the horse imagery stuck out to me because it evokes a sort of romantic notion of a knight or some other gallant, medieval hero. Salt used to be very important to trade in Europe and Africa, and often was given at a 1:1 ratio with gold. The fact that "stallions galloped for miles and days for it" implies that Morrison's talking about the people on those stallions, not the horses themselves. The taste is "powerful and necessary" to human life, but, in this context, is also a temptation that can be dangerous when sought without moderation. I think that with Sam's reading of Milkman feeling this independence/masculinity, the horse imagery makes him feel like a noble hero on a quest for wealth. The temptation/addiction of this feeling in excess foreshadows an immaturity of Milkman, I think, because he is bound to worldly pleasures of "powerful tastes" of independence instead of moderation in his relationship with the rest of the world.
DeleteI think it’s a really good connection that Thea brought up about the salt-gold trade. In addition to its preciousness, salt comes in sweat and tears, which are the result of hard work and perhaps the steps to success. Milkman describes the taste as “new” and “delicious,” as if he for the first time learns to grow out of the “tentativeness, doubt and inauthenticity” that often come with immaturity (183). Having lived a privileged life, Milkman has never known to always live on the edge and worry about tomorrow’s meals, and through this adventure and conversation with Guitar, he gets a glimpse of such life that requires diligence, which feels noble.
DeleteI believe that Guitar has actually taken steps backward in his growth. I think the main reason for this is the negative influence from Macon Dead. He instills ideas from his own imagination into Milkman and it affects him. For example the story of of Pilate and the gold. He states, "If she did that at twelve what do you think she would do at almost seventy." (178). Because of what his dad says to him he decides to ignore the person that arguably has the most love for Milkman. In that sense he contains no love or sympathy for others. In that sense he has definitely backtracked. Also he seems to have become more childish with the peacock incident. Not only did Milkman backtrack, but so did Guitar and he has realized that he is not made to be an aesthetic. However he does realize that it is his life that he has to live and not someone else's.
ReplyDeleteGuitar plans to give the money to all the important people in his life, such as "Uncle Billy, the one who had come up from Florida to help raise them all after his father died." He has no money, and justice was more of a priority to him than money, but when the opportunity comes around, he is more than willing to take it, but not for him. Guitar is thinking quite selflessly about which family members he can help, and even get a gravestone for his father, but Milkman, who has always had money, has very different plans. Milkman imagined cars, airplanes and boats, not thinking about anyone else but himself. Even though this is very selfish, he comes to the realization that he has always had money, and this wouldn't change anything drastically in his life. He has everything he could want, and realizes his desire to leave town, which is most likely foreshadowing what will happen later in the book.
ReplyDelete3). From the fantasies that they imagine while tying to catch the peacock, I notice that Milkman wants only physical things that would make only him happy and Guitar wants things that would benefit his whole family. This reminds me about the time when Milkman punches his dad after he punched his mom. We questioned if he did it out of love but from this passage it shows that he has no love for anyone in his family. "He just wanted to beat a path away from his parents' past, which was also their present and which was threatening to become his present as well"(180). I start to hate Milkman more and more because he has grown incredibly selfish and that everything he thinks about is just about helping himself. This also makes me sympathize with Guitar because he seems to actually care about others and makes me want all those things to happen for him.
ReplyDeleteI think when the peacock represents the money and freedom that both Guitar and Milkman want, at the same time I believe is a reflection on what is holding them down. When Milkman asks why the peacock can not fly Guitar responds with “jewelry weighs it down” this jewelry represents “vanity” like Milkman’s vanity toward women and Guitar vanity toward the different races and how he wants to kill all “unnatural” white people. This vanity in both our characters makes it so”nobody can fly”. (179) So they can never be free or fly, even if they steal the gold.
ReplyDeleteI think Morrison is trying to tell us that you can’t be free with vanity. Like in Milkman and Guitar’s case. Though this does leave me interested in what will happen next. How will Guitar’s vanity play into his church bombing and how will Milkman’s play into the relationship with his father.
I love Milkman's realizations in chapter 8. I finally understands what his past has been made of and the affect his parents truly have on him. Before this chapter, Milkman remained confused about who he was and where he needed to fit in this town of his. His family was disoriented and he didn't know what to make if the treatment he got from his mother or father. However, now Milkman seems to understand. He states, "He hates the acridness in his mothers and fathers relationship, the conviction of righteousness they each held on to with both hands"(180). Milkman is fully realizing the stubbornness of his parents and how he completely disagrees with it's affect on each other and himself. He begins to disregard them and understand that he doesn't need to work on how to fit in their society; he needs to fully get away for it. "He just wanted to beat a path away from his parents' past, which was also their present and which was threatening to become his present as well"(180). Milkman has grown a lot in chapter 8, noticing the wrongs in his situation and what he finds fault with. His actions now are leading to what he wants for himself; to get away from his parents and their turmoil.
ReplyDeleteFlying is a big theme in this novel. Milkman wanted to fly as a child and he was sad when he learned that he wouldn't be able to fly. This leads to the large significance of the peacock. Peacocks have very beautiful tails which they proudly demonstrate to all other birds The disadvantage of that tail is that it is too heavy and large and wouldn't let the peacock fly. This symbolizes money and gold Guitar and Milkman want to get. They will get the gold and become rich, but we don't know what other disadvantages they will meet. I found it interesting how Guitar says"Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down." right before robbing Pilate. He realizes that you need to sacrifice some things in order to achieve more, but nevertheless he is heading to rob Pilate.
ReplyDelete