IRA Song of Solomon

This blog I am going to analyze the development of the character Milkman, Macon Dead III, first some background on him.   When his mother first conceived Milkman his father has been trying to kill him. Macon Dead II, had stop making love to his wife, Ruth who was forlorn went to Macon’s sister, Pilate, for advice and comfort. Pilate gave Ruth a special concoction to put them in his food to make him want to make love. So Macon knows that Milkman is conceived by some sort of “voodoo” and wants Ruth to kill her child.  Beyond all odds, Milkman survives.  As Milkman grows up his two older sisters essentially lose their childhood because they have to take care of him, never getting to be carefree girls. This causes his older sisters to hate him, because he always gets to float along in life, using other people. 

Milkman has always depended on other people, never doing anything independently and boldly.  Though in this point of the book he is a forty year old man he still acts like a teenager working for his father.  The only person who could make Milkman doing anything was Guitar.  Guitar is a kid from the wrong side of the tracks and he stood up for Milkman once on the playground and they had been inseparable since. Lately Guitar has been acting suspicious. Milkman finds out that Guitar is part of a group called “The Days”.  Their mission is to keep the population balanced, every time there is a hate crime against blacks they do the same or similarly to a white person. There are seven members, one for each day, so if the black murder happens on Tuesday, the Tuesday guy kills a white person.  Milkman is terrified to learn of this he starts to drift away from Guitar. Then Macon thinks that his sister, Pilate, has the gold that they stole from a white man a few days after their father was killed. Macon devises a plan for Milkman to steal it, Milkman sees it as a way to make amends with Guitar.  Guitar actually wants the money to buy explosives to kill white girls they was the church explosion killed those girls down south. They go through with the plan finding out that the bag the stole actually contains human bones. The men get pulled over and the bones are discovered and they are taken to jail. Pilate comes to jail to help Macon bail them out, playing the poor-down and out black women, claims that this is her husband but she couldn’t afford to bury him so she carries him wherever she goes.  The boys are released, and Milkman decides to leave and go find the gold.

This is a big turning point for Milkman, he has never done anything by himself but he decides to fly to Pittsburgh and slowly work his way down the east coast. Though the motive of his quest is very selfish it is in a way self-searching. He is discovering his potential that he can make his own way and decisions. Milkman discovers that he can hold his own, his whole persona and self-image changes. Instead of being the scared timid little boy he holds his own in a fight with the locals of a town Pilate lived in for a while. He knows his purpose and mission in live, and most of all he realizes that he is a survivor.  He survived the attempts on his life by his father, his psycho-girl friend and all the challenges he has met on his journey. Who knows how much stronger he will and can become!