Friday, January 11, 2008
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"All you need is the story..."- Tim O'Brien
"Literature has been the salvation of the damned, has inspired and guided lovers, routed despair, and can perhaps...save the world." John Cheever
37 comments:
Morrison portrays relationships as very complex and multi-faceted in the novel. It is difficult to understand why characters have the relationships they do-but we learn more about why as the past is revealed. For example, we are led to believe that Macon purely despises his wife. But did he always? The memories that he has involving her indicate that he did not, and that it is the relationship that Ruth had with her father-another complex relationship-that chased away any respect that Macon might have had for his wife.
As soon as I read this question, I thought of a passage in the novel that stood out to me. "Without the tension and drama he ignited, they might not have known what to do with themselves." This sentence refers specifically to Lena and Corinthians and their relationship with their father, but in my opinion, it can apply to all relationships within the book. Many of the characters do not completely connect; many feel fear, hatred, or confusion regarding others. But they still are dependent upon each other. Milkman is not a good friend to Guitar, but without Guitar, who would he have? Macon and Ruth's relationship is anything but healthy, but without each other, would they be in as prestigious a position in society? And so on. Similarly to her use of magical realism, Morrison uses the complexity of the relationships within Song of Solomon to contribute to the overall message of the book: things are far more complex than they seem.
As Maddie said, every relationship is incredibly complicated. The characters criss-cross constantly, each relationship has facets of each character within it. It certainly makes for an interesting reading, but also requires a great amount of thought.
Traditional or non-traditional... Song of Solomon certainly has its fill of strange and slightly disturbing relationships. There may be some subtle reminder there of the importance of connecting with other people and keeping that connection healthy and alive. Ruth, obviously a little cut off from others, makes things a little awkward for her with any male in her life, most notably her husband and her son. It's interesting to note her obsession with being touched and her need for that kind of attention. Take it away, and she seeks solace in more... extreme ways.
The relationships in the novel are incredibly important, as they are the key to explaining much of people's pasts and a way of learning about their personalities. The relationships give a lot of color to the story (what an awful pun) and definitely bring it to a higher level.
As I've noticed in every book that we've read thus far...relationships are WACKY and clearly I'm missing something. In The Sound and the Fury, all of the Compson boys had some weird obsession with Cady and Quentin took it a little too far when he claimed that he had sexual relations with her. If my brother ever said that to someone about me...yea, not gonna go there. AND, this weird sexual-attraction to your family kinda thing happened again in Call it Sleep when David couldn't help but think of his mother in a sexual way, feeling like he she was his property. Plus, he thought about the sexual relationship between Luter and Genya way too much for comfort, and again when he was with Annie, Genya was the only thing on his mind. Bizarre. Normally, I would have just thought this was a coincidence, but of course, my theory was debunked when I started reading Song of Solomon and FOR THE THIRD TIME IN A ROW there was some uncomfortable family sexual tension. Only this time it was way more, and more characters were involved, and basically you couldn't read two pages without being reminded of Ruth hovering over her father AFTER HE WAS DEAD.
...therefore, I've come to the conclusion that I know nothing about relationships because apparently this sexual tension is normal in the literary world. In comparing the other aspects of the three novels, all seem to be trying to comment on society in one way or another. SO, perhaps Morrison is trying to say that no pure relationship, whether it be sexual, platonic, romantic, etc. can exist in society. On a larger scale, she may be using relationships to characterize society as a whole in being corrupt, secretive, complex.
I just re-read the question and apparently I missed most of what was actually being asked. SO...as a supplement to my last post...I think that Morrison is using these bizarre (but maybe normal?) relationships to prove something about society, perhaps a theme that she will ultimately be expressing and that I am currently unaware of because I still have 100 pages left to read (that I really want to finish but am hesitating to so I don't have post-novel nothing-left-to-read depression)
ALSO...I meant this, not thus. Thus was my attempt at sounding scholarly that failed miserably.
One of the things that I noticed so far is that all of the relationships in the novel are one-sided. Think of the opening scene. Robert Smith attaches a suicide note to the door of his house, saying, "I loved you all." From later accounts, it is understood that Mr. Smith might have loved, but he was not loved and led a boring, single life. Next relationship we come across: Ruth and her son. She loves him, she nurses him, she is obsessed with him, and he later confesses he does not even love her, does not even view her as a real person. In Ruth and Macon's relationship, neither seems to love the other, but Ruth seems a lot more accepting than Macon is. The most poignant examples of this one-sidedness are Milkman's relationships with Hagar and Guitar. Although Hagar is a more extreme case of one-sided love, Milkman's relationship with Guitar seems to be just as one-sided; on one hand, he does not listen to Guitar, and on the other hand, he claims Guitar never trusts him.
Another thing: most of the unions that are 'traditional'-marriage, frienship, boyfriend/girlfriend, are tremendously screwed up in this novel. The only functioning union so far is Pilate's family, which is non-traditional to the max--3 women living together without a man and without money, tow of them with their illegitimate daughter. And yet theirs is the only union which is filled with love and contentment.
Social commentary much?
The thing that has struck me so far about the relationships in this novel, especially after getting through chapter 6, is that most of the characters in the novel are holding on to something by associating with certain people. Pilate is holding on to her life as a child by befriending Milkman. Milkman is holding onto the idea that he is a rough and tumble type character by associating with Guitar. Ruth is holding on to love, or was holding on to love with her possessiveness that she had towards Milkman well beyond his "baby years". The relationships in the novel, at first glance all seemed quite bizarre, however, as time has gone on, there is a reason for every relationship in the novel, just like there is a reason for every word that Morrison chooses to use in the novel. She can be arrogant, she is damn good.
I'm going to be really honest right now: the 'relationships' in this book are so screwed up it's not even funny.
Macon- hates his wife and didn't like her father, is more or less indifferent towards his children though he stopped Milkman from getting drafted... which is almost negated by the fact that he wanted Milkman aborted. Doesn't talk to his sister.
Ruth- had a strange relationship with her father (from Macon's perspective and even her own in chapter 5), is hated by her husband, got some sort of sexual gratification from her son who she just recently (as of chapter 5) realized was a real person.
Milkman- doesn't 'love' anyone (this pretty much applies to all the book's characters thus far) including his parents and Hagar.
Hagar- loved endlessly by Pilate and Reba. So obsessed by Milkman that she tries to kill him night after night but can't when she finally gets the opportunity.
Pilate- despite lacking a naval, the only 'normal' one.
Reba- looks for sexual gratification from almost every man she meets but loves her daughter more than anything.
Overall, the relationships presented in this book are so messed up that I almost thought the novel was a satire.
Yeah I really agree with what Maddie said. Morrison constructs this novel so that the reader's opinion about the characters is constantly changing. Not only is there a surface that isn't necessarily valid, there are many layers that continue. And, we have to assume that what we know now may not prevail throughout the rest of the book.
In addition, how we feel about the relationships in the novel reflects how each character feels about his relationship with another character. For example, at the beginning of the story, I loved Guitar because Milkman loved Guitar. I hated Macon because we only got the impression from Milkman that Macon was evil and despised his family. Our opinions about Guitar changed as Milkman's opinion about Guitar changed--once Milkman questioned Guitar's genocide idea and pinned him down as crazy and, well, a murderer, the reader is forced to do the same. I think that Morrison wants the readers to follow her characters further into these relationships.
And the purpose? To reflect real life. We never know where we're going, or who people really are. So we learn as we progress. That's what we're doing here--slowly delving deeper into each character and his or her perceptions of other characters.
Healthy relationships? Who wants to read about those?
What's interesting to me is that Pilate acts as a go-between for Ruth and Macon and Milkman and Hagar. It's Pilate that gives Ruth the herbs that lead to Milkman's conception. And it's Pilate that beats Hagar everytime she comes home from trying to kill Milkman. She sees how relationships have completely destroyed these people , how Ruth needs something in her life to love since she's disconnected from her husband. Morrison tells us that Pilate stares at people even if it's considered rude, and that shows us that Pilate does not become obsessed with people or distance herself. It separates her from most of the main characters.
So the irony is that Pilate, the most isolated character, has the greatest understanding of human relationships. I think Morrison's using her character to tell us that traditional relationships do not lead to love, that love can exist in unexpected places, like in Pilate's home, and elude Milkman's family and their wealth and power.
With regards to Hagar: Hagar in the Bible is Abraham's handmaiden. Sarah, Abraham's wife, is barren, so she wants Abraham to have a son with Hagar so he can have a son. Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. Eventually, Sarah conceives and gives birth to Isaac, and she throws Hagar and Ishmael out of the house. I figured we never got to this is class (maybe on Monday?), but does anyone want to address this? The similarity is pretty evident.
And to touch on friendship, it's chilling when Milkman and Guitar state that they're scared for each other. There's no affection there, just Milkman's fear that Guitar is in too deep, and Guitar's fear that Milkman just doesn't care enough. They don't support each other at all, so it's barely even a friendship.
And, to respond to Mara, there is no such thing as a perfect relationship. We define healthy relationships based on communication, compromise, affection, and the extremely ambiguous term "love." Morrison develops these complex relationships that explore isolation and obsession to humanize her characters and expose their vulnerabilities-- Hagar's inability to kill Milkman, Ruth's longing to be touched, and I think it will eventually lead to some of these relationships mending as Milkman begins to realize that he cares about people and, finally, grows up.
The relationships in the novel are all overshadowed by secrets and lack of communication--shocking, lethal secrets which creates a lethal and uncomfortable tension between characters. The relationship between Ruth and Macon is the most convoluted of all, with each hiding things from the other, and never completely confronting nor explaining the truth. The relationship with Macon and Pilate also seems quite complicated, now with death and a fortune lurking in the middle. Milkman's relationship with his parents is one marred by miscommunication, as both his parents hide their past from him. Guitar only recently told Milkman of his hidden secrets, and such secrets can break off their friendship permanently.
These relationships add an air of mystery and abruptness to the text; the reader does not know what to expect next. It's quite an unpredictable novel. Everyone has secrets, and every secret can make or break a person.
Healthy relationships? Who wants to read about those?
What's interesting to me is that Pilate acts as a go-between for Ruth and Macon and Milkman and Hagar. It's Pilate that gives Ruth the herbs that lead to Milkman's conception. And it's Pilate that beats Hagar everytime she comes home from trying to kill Milkman. She sees how relationships have completely destroyed these people , how Ruth needs something in her life to love since she's disconnected from her husband. Morrison tells us that Pilate stares at people even if it's considered rude, and that shows us that Pilate does not become obsessed with people or distance herself. It separates her from most of the main characters.
So the irony is that Pilate, the most isolated character, has the greatest understanding of human relationships. I think Morrison's using her character to tell us that traditional relationships do not lead to love, that love can exist in unexpected places, like in Pilate's home, and elude Milkman's family and their wealth and power.
With regards to Hagar: Hagar in the Bible is Abraham's handmaiden. Sarah, Abraham's wife, is barren, so she wants Abraham to have a son with Hagar so he can have a son. Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. Eventually, Sarah conceives and gives birth to Isaac, and she throws Hagar and Ishmael out of the house. I figured we never got to this is class (maybe on Monday?), but does anyone want to address this? The similarity is pretty evident.
And to touch on friendship, it's chilling when Milkman and Guitar state that they're scared for each other. There's no affection there, just Milkman's fear that Guitar is in too deep, and Guitar's fear that Milkman just doesn't care enough. They don't support each other at all, so it's barely even a friendship.
And, to respond to Mara, there is no such thing as a perfect relationship. We define healthy relationships based on communication, compromise, affection, and the extremely ambiguous term "love." Morrison develops these complex relationships that explore isolation and obsession to humanize her characters and expose their vulnerabilities-- Hagar's inability to kill Milkman, Ruth's longing to be touched, and I think it will eventually lead to some of these relationships mending as Milkman begins to realize that he cares about people and, finally, grows up.
I'm surprised that no one has talked about certain character's relationships with the dead...specifically, between Ruth and her father, in contrast with Pilate and her father. The supernatural communion between Pilate and her father as communicated in Chapter 5 denotes another aspect of magical realism, in which death provides no barrier between the living and the deceased. In fact, Pilate and her father's relationship is a nurturing and, dare we say, healthy(!) relationship in which the father is the guide, and watches over his daughter in times of sadness. Ruth also appeals to her father when she needs someone to talk to, however, this father daughter relationship is, as Anna was saying, an example of the one-sided relationships which characterize the novel. The Doctor never rises from his grave to talk to Ruth as Pilate's does; Ruth must glean comfort only from the cold tombstone marking his burial site. We have already discussed the dodgy relationship that Ruth had with her father in life, and it seems that nothing has changed. Why must Ruth seek her father's grave only in the early hours of the morning, when no one else is around? What is she afraid of? She makes no effort to conceal her devotion to her father in front of her husband, so why the secrecy?
Unlike Pilate's father who left her against his will, the Doctor longed to die. He struggled against Ruth's efforts to revive him, embittering himself towards her to the end. Like the other men in her life, Ruth's father abandons her, and her efforts to drag him from the grave become another secret which she hides from her family, another unnatural connection between herself and her father which she continues to cling to.
I don't remember who was discussing this before on the blog, I think Anna was, but once again the eccentric, belly button-less Pilate is the one who holds a sacred, fruitful relationship with her father, while Ruth's is stagnant and one sided. In this way, the two become FOILS of one another, even though they share an unending devotion to their fathers.
Maddie makes an interesting point when she talks about the quote, "Without the tension and drama he ignited, they might not have known what to do with themselves", pertaining to all the relationships within the novel. As Maddie stated, every relationship portrayed in "Song of Solomon" is complex, and often is manipulated throughout the work as characterization through anecdotes enlighten the reader about a character's past and its effect on one, if not all, of their relationships.
Most would assume strong relationships would exist on the foundation of love, devotion, and friendship, but as Morrison shows, often hate and fear are just as powerful in manipulating relationships. The traditional relationship of love connecting husband and wife is corrupted into fear and detestation. Similarly, instead of having friendship based on understanding and trust, Guitar and Milkman's friendship is based on suspicion and mutual misunderstanding. Even Milkman’s relationship with his father is untraditional in that it is based purely on their interdependence of each other; even in Chapter 7 when his father tells him about when he killed the man in the cave, it is only to recruit Milkman to get him the green sack that is allegedly full of gold.
In agreement with everyone else, the "relationships" in this book are completely unconventional and messed up. But, as Morrison is slowly revealing the past, it is entirely understandable how things got this way. Yes, the sexual vibes that existed between Ruth and her father were extremely creepy BUT, when she explained that he was the only person who cared if she lived or died, the only person who ever needed her, I was better able to understand Ruth and her relationship with Milkman. I think the whole reason Ruth breastfed Milkman for so long was she needed another human being to feel connected to and depend on her. What I think is interesting is no matter how screwed up the relationships are, there still exists a certain amount of loyalty. Pilate defends just about everyone, Ruth fights for his son, Milkman protects his mother, and Guitar takes on the role of standing up for an entire community. However, I do not think there is one relationship in this book that is based off of love (Hagar isn't in love-she is just crazy). I think every relationship is derived from the individuals need to justify their existance and feed some selfish desire. It also seems that every character has been dependent on Pilate in some way or another, however, Pilate is not dependent on anyone--perhaps this is why she doesn't have a belly button?
I think what Marissa and Ken said about the relationships in this story not being based on love is true, and proves the point Morrison is trying to make. Song of Solomon is a novel filled with relationships between parent/child, husband/wife, brother/sister, etc., that one would assume to be filled with love. Yet instead, we find characters that use others for completely selfish purposes. Macon marries Ruth for money and prestige, Ruth has Milkman as an attempt to gain Macon’s affection, Milkman only defends his mother so he can feel like he did the right thing by defending an innocent person, Guitar puts up with Milkman because he is a black man and his death would mess up the ratio, etc. When compared to relationships in most other fictional stories, these seem crazy and incredibly cynical. But in reality, are these motives really so uncommon? Admit it, desire for wealth and status or feelings of worthiness and obligation have definitely affected some of our actions. The relationships Morrison portrays might be slightly extreme, but overall I think it makes the story more realistic because real life is not a perfect fairytale.
Also, like Johanna said, Morrison also makes her story more believable in the way she lets us learn about the characters gradually – through memories, actions, and their relationships with others. She doesn’t summarize for us in one paragraph everything the character is. We have to discover it for ourselves. And because Morrison makes this story realistic in so many ways, I still don’t really get the reason for the whole flower dream/Freddie’s birth story thing.
The line on page 123, "Why couldn't anybody in his whole family just be normal?" is a depressing but nonetheless truthful testament to the character's relationships, and by extension, everyday lives in Song of Solomon. To begin, Morrison's portrayal of romantic relationships in the novel (that of Milkman and Hagar, Milkman and whatever other girl he is seeing, Macon and Ruth, Pilate and the Island Boy, etc) are oddly constructed, in my opinion, to hint at the notion that traditional unions are an ideal, a theoretical concept that never is remotely attainable. Likewise, traditional unions are boring, and the characters that Morrison develops, or wants to subsequently develop, would feel awkward in such a flawless environment. This choice, then, contributes to the characterization of characters like Milkman, and provides him with a path for self-discovery. Self-discovery is how Milkman will attempt to find out who he is, and construct a life for himself as the reader learns the answers to many subsequent questions that have arisen. Thinking back to the chapter when the reader learns the history behind the name “Macon Dead,” we are told that the name was to create a beginning, erasing the “past” life. Well, what is this past life? The relationships in the story provide us with clues, albeit disconnected and sparse, but they will inevitably piece together this puzzle that Milkman, and the reader, find themselves trapped in. Therefore, I feel that the obscure relationships in the novel provide this quest for Milkman (arguably for minor characters as well), which will soon piece together to converge in this one theme of self-discovery. Self-awareness.
My initial reaction after finishing the first seven chapters was the same as Ashish’s. Because of how idiosyncratic (or if you’re feeling less euphemistic, messed-up) a lot of the relationships are, Song of Solomon could very well be a satire. If not, it’s definitely social commentary. But then what’s normal and messed-up anyway? Based on society’s standards, normal consists of the traditional marital and familial relationships devoid of incest. Of course, as Anna noted, Pilate’s family of three women with two illegitimate daughters, though the most loving in the novel, would also be the most socially censurable. I think Morrison has issues with society’s elevation of traditional relationships as what “should be” because it’s moral and right; it definitely shuts out a lot of possibilities.
Weaving together stories of different relationships to exhibit a contrast between traditional and non-traditional relationships reminds me of Parallel Lives. Of the six Victorian marriages, only that of George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) and George Henry Lewes was supportive and loving. Yet ironically, they weren’t legally married because Lewes had a wife (who had other affairs and children with other men). Funny that the couple that was so scandalous in society’s eyes had the happiest and most successful marriage/relationship. I think Morrison makes a similar point.
The best word to describe the relationships in this novel is unnatural. The relationships that exist among the characters in this novel lack all the necessary components that make a relationship successful. Love, trust, patience, and sacrifice are lacking in the relationships. But what really strikes me is that almost all the characters are unable to forgive and forget. They all seem to hold grudges. Mason Dead is unable to forgive his sister, Pilate, for not allowing him to take the tarpaulin of gold that he found in the cave after he killed the old man. He is unable to forgive her for supposedly (the reader is lead to believe) taking the tarpaulin of gold for herself. Mason Dead is also unable to forgive his wife, Ruth, for her awkward relationship with her father. Hagar is unable to forgive Milkman for sleeping with other women because he made her fall in love with him. Mason Dead and Hagar are unable to let go of the past; and as a result, they force themselves and others to be miserable. Hagar tries to kill Milkman many times but fails with each attempt, leaving her in a state of sadness, contempt, and misery. Mason Dead forces Ruth to suffer because of her relationship with her father. Instead of attempting to augment and revive his relationship with his wife, Mason ignores and distances himself from Ruth; therefore, forcing Ruth to come back to her dead father for comfort and understanding. Mason Dead’s inability to forgive Pilot and Ruth turns him into a man obsessed with money and material possession. He never allows love to replace his feelings of anger and contempt.
However, the only person who seems willing to have successful relationships is Pilot. Pilot “gave up, apparently, all interest in table manners of hygiene, but acquired a deep concern for and about human relationships.” For example, she sacrifices her very simple way of life to accommodate Hagar, a prissy girl who values material things. She finds her brother in attempt to give Hagar a life she and Reba could not offer her. Pilot deeply cares and loves both Reba and Hagar; hence, she sacrifices her own lifestyle to make Hagar’s life better.
I believe these relationships add to the overall mystery and excitement of the novel. With each chapter, the reader learns a new detail about the characters’ past relationships which keeps the reader thinking. He reader is constantly thinking about who to blame, who to trust, and why no relationship seems to be successful. The relationships among the characters keep the reader alert and awake. The reader craves more information which each new detail. I believe Morrison is commenting that forgiveness is a necessary ingredient to make and sustain a strong relationship.
As people have said, so many of the relationships in the novel are based on a total disconnect. Ruth and Macon, Macon and Pilate, Milkman and everyone else. Guitar in particular is an example of disconnect: he has his Seven Days society, and has promised never to have a real relationship, because that would jeopardize the ultimate goal. He is so disconnected from humanity by killing the innocent; his only connection is in the intimacy of his small group, though even the seven days hardly communicate. Instead of a relationship, he has the adrenaline of "fighting back". His "love" is, as he says, his love of all black people. But the reader, through Milkman's eyes, sees this as instead a hatred for white people. This "relationship" of Guitar's is obvioulsy unhealthy. Even Milkman, who can connect with no one, sees the sickness in this. This "lack of relationships" will ultimately force Milkman to grow.
And can I just mention that, even with all the magic realism, the one thing that seemed unreal to me was that Guitar trusted Milkman with this secret information; he's so mistrustfull of people...
Morrison portrays relationships in a variety of different ways. The relationships in the novel are some of the most interesting elements of the book. They are what makes the book so hard for me to put down. I like exploring the relationships and the history behind them and seeing what lies ahead for them.
Morrison portrays various kinds of relationships. The famlial relationships in the novel include Milkman's family and Pilate's family. Milkman's family is cold and tense, while Pilate's family is very close-knit and welcoming. Although, Milkman's family has the more traditional structure (mom, dad, kids), they have the less traditional bond, while it is vice-versa for Pilate's family. However, the familial relationships also have an incestuous tendency (seems to be a trend in our books this year), which is clearly untraditional.
The romantic relationships are very stunted. The characters in the novel seem to push romantic love away. The fading of love from Macon and Ruth's relationship is something I am very puzzled by.
The most puzzling relationships in the book are the platonic ones. Milkman and Guitar's friendship is so strange, and Milkman is not the greatest friend in the world. I think because we view the novel from the point of an outsider (Milkman) it is very difficult to understand these relationships.
The relationships that Morrison shows are all critical to the text, and most of the characterization comes from the descriptions of these relationships. Through Macon's relationship with Ruth a number of aspects of his personality are revealed, and his emotions are caused by yet another very unnatural relationship. Guitar's friendship with Milkman shows the differences in the way these two young men think and view their world, and so on. Morrison reveals the nature of these unusual characters through all of their complex and strange relationships.
Morrison is definitely making a point here, but so far the pieces that would complete that statement aren't quite coming together yet. It's clear that almost all of the relationships in this world are terribly abnormal and fragile, and they seem to be desperately in need of repair. How can a family be so separate and hateful of the father? How is a mother so obsessed with her father and filled with strange sexual desires? How come the two abnormal people (Pilate with her lack of a navel and Milkman's disability) seem to be the only ones that are actually sane? There's clearly a statement here, I just can't make it coherent yet.
I agree with Anna, what we see of these "traditional" relationships really are one-sided. We see it with Ruth and Milkman, Ruth and Macon, Milkman and Hagar, and Milkman and Guitar. And really the cause of all this is the fact that no one can give nor wants to give to other what he or she wants. Ruth wants to be cared for, and when she doesn't get it from Macon, she finds it in with her father. Hagar is so in love with Milkman and for this reason can't let him cut her out of his life, for his own sake. I think what Morrison is showing us here is that in reality, no one can really depend on anyone to fulfill their needs and wants. Everyone in the novel, except Pilate and her daughters, are completely detached from those they normally would be close and live under an illusion that they are husband&wife, boyfriend&girlfriend, or best friends. Morrison is revealing to the reader what is, in her mind, basic human nature: being selfish, in order to survive and establish their own place in society
Yes, it is clear the relationships are very complicated, strange, and unlike anything we've ever heard of or read about. First, there's the relationship between Ruth and Macon. As the book progreseses, we are further astonished with this relationship consisting of pure detest while learning about Ruth's unnatural devotion to her father, the measures she takes to get pregnant,and Macon's own devotion to murdering his son. Yet, the one relationship that really fascinates me is that between Ruth and Macon--the fact that Ruth cares about Macon because it is her sole victory against her husband. It seems that under every relationship lies a greater, more selfish goal. The characters in this text can not love eachother purely. Because many of them were never exposed to healthy upbringings, I feel like they can not enjoy true love, friendships, or forge a true relationship. Even Hagar's overflowing passion for Milkman reflects this. Morrison mentions something along the lines of how Hagar loved him more than she loved his life. She can not control her feelings whatsoever. The remnants of the relationship are consumed by too much passion and emotion.
The relationship between Macon and Milkman is also complex, especially knowing that Macon tried everything in his power to murder Macon. We now know that whenever Macon regards Milkman he does so with pain, knowing in this sense Ruth earned a victory over him. Yet, at the same time, he wants to justify himself to his son, and does so on two occasions.
I feel like while reading I am tempted to "take sides" in a way. I feel like its easy for many people while reading to quickly distinguish the "good guy" and the "bad guy". From the beginning, I picked Ruth out as the helpless mother subject to spousal abuse. I thought the novel would follow a more conventional route, with clearly defined character roles. The relationships are increasingly complex as we learn more and more about the characters and their pasts. Its not as simple as "choosing sides", especially since more and more seems to be revealed in every chapter.
I agree with most of what has been said so to add something new, I noticed throughout these chapters how much the relationships seem to change. For example, Macon goes from feeling like the luckiest man in the world when he marries Ruth/ imagines her fancy underwear to completely despising her. He also went from not wanting his son to be born (punching his wife in the stomach- I actually gasped at that) to being dependent on him and begging him to stay with him. Milkman goes from being completely fascinated by Hagar to wanting to have nothing to do with her and went from fearing his father to feeling more powerful than him.
Maybe Morrison is making a statement about the dynamic and transient nature of human emotion and the instability of relationships in general. Also, she could be commenting about the general frustration that African Americans had at that time- the relationship with their culture, their country and how they deal with the hatred from much of the white society. For example, Milkman and Guitar have very different relationships with the African American society, and they act accordingly..
It was really interesting how the blood connection between Hagar and milkman made her even more obsessed, which is similar to how Ruth’s strange connection with her father. By the way, I still don’t know what I am supposed to believe… Was Ruth in a slip when she was lying with her father? If she was, is that still really creepy? Or did she just have a need to be as close as possible to the only man that cared for her? Mara mentioned all these sexual instances in the families we’ve read about and I hate to get all psychological but there are so many theories, Freudian and such, about those kinds of emotions between child and parent. So I don’t think it’s that strange a coincidence that we’ve read a lot about it. And like people have said above, why would we want to read about a normal family?
The one relationship I don’t feel that I have learned enough about is the one between Pilate and the man on the island. She mentioned that she always longed for another long relationship like that one, but we never hear about him again. Pilate is one of the only characters that is truly filled with love, despite her being cast out by society, even by her own people. She is still able to be respected and able to a mediator among all the conflicts around her, even though she is not allowed to experience those relationships herself.
I agree with most of what has been said so to add something new, I noticed throughout these chapters how much the relationships seem to change. For example, Macon goes from feeling like the luckiest man in the world when he marries Ruth/ imagines her fancy underwear to completely despising her. He also went from not wanting his son to be born (punching his wife in the stomach- I actually gasped at that) to being dependent on him and begging him to stay with him. Milkman goes from being completely fascinated by Hagar to wanting to have nothing to do with her and went from fearing his father to feeling more powerful than him.
Maybe Morrison is making a statement about the dynamic and transient nature of human emotion and the instability of relationships in general. Also, she could be commenting about the general frustration that African Americans had at that time- the relationship with their culture, their country and how they deal with the hatred from much of the white society. For example, Milkman and Guitar have very different relationships with the African American society, and they act accordingly..
It was really interesting how the blood connection between Hagar and milkman made her even more obsessed, which is similar to how Ruth’s strange connection with her father. By the way, I still don’t know what I am supposed to believe… Was Ruth in a slip when she was lying with her father? If she was, is that still really creepy? Or did she just have a need to be as close as possible to the only man that cared for her? Mara mentioned all these sexual instances in the families we’ve read about and I hate to get all psychological but there are so many theories, Freudian and such, about those kinds of emotions between child and parent. So I don’t think it’s that strange a coincidence that we’ve read a lot about it. And like people have said above, why would we want to read about a normal family?
The one relationship I don’t feel that I have learned enough about is the one between Pilate and the man on the island. She mentioned that she always longed for another long relationship like that one, but we never hear about him again. Pilate is one of the only characters that is truly filled with love, despite her being cast out by society, even by her own people. She is still able to be respected and able to a mediator among all the conflicts around her, even though she is not allowed to experience those relationships herself.
I am going to have to agree with what Ken said about the relationships mainly being based off of hate and envy, rather than true love. The presence of magical realism further helps show this. In Morrison's anecdote about Pilate's life, we see how she was affected by the society around her. People shunned her simply because she was missing a navel (I thought the passage about her being "untouchable" and midgets, hunchbacks, and other people were not was pretty funny). I agree with what Ashish about the fact that Pilate's relationships are really the only truly "normal" ones. She tries to help Ruth out even though she is not even a blood relative. She is a beacon of hope to Ruth, Reba, and Hagar (even though she has a weird obsession with Milkman). I think the best way to describe the relationship is one of longing. Hagar was so isolated in her youth that the prospect of a male figure in her life overcome her, making her have an immense (and creepy) amount of passion for Milkman. Macon is the character I cannot really figure out (probably because I have mixed feelings about him). He is greedy, selfish, mean-spirited, and the epitome of a true "villain." However the stories he tells to Milkman about the family's past forge a tighter bond between his son and him. It also advances the plot, because as a reader we don't know what is going to happen with this bag of gold that Pilate "stole."
I agree with Parla also that the relationships are mainly one-sided which is why I believe that Morrison is trying to make a statement about the role of woman more so than about the struggle of the African American community. The female characters are the ones that seem to have the most interesting and contrasting relationships. Hagar and Ruth are weak while Pilate is a confusing yet amazingly strong character. There is union with God that Pilate has that neither Hagar nor Ruth has. This might be why Pilate is so strong and the other two are so very weak.
Everyone is just selfish.
-Macon (sr.) is an interesting character, but also no so interested in his familiy. He grows dependent on Milkman because he is convenience to have around. He is still disconnected. however because they share the same name, i felt that Macon feels that Milkman should know everything his life. This is why he was so straight forward, but when Ruth tells Milkman her side, I just stopped caring. I really don't like Ruth.
-Ruth, talk about a disconnect, she mostly defends herself and takes down Macon. They take each other down. I feel that she is still daddy's little girl, and despite her age she still can run fast. So i feel she is not very mature and a bad mother figure. Selfish.
i know i'm leaving out hagar, and pilate and guitar, but just looking at Milkman's direct family, Morrison creates this Not family. (stretch) Maybe she is trying to extend the traditional family or union, doesnt Milkman find a greater connection inthe Dead family through Pilate? I think he felt less dead, but more Dead. (ha!) But i'm not game for dating our cousin. Not my thing. (it's late guys)
Woah, back to Macon, becasue i forgot a few words.
Macon is connected to hsi son thorugh their names. THey're both Macon. And i think that Macon is trying to demilkman Milkman. He does this by being very frank with him. He gives him the full story on everything. Heck, he's even going to split his inheritance with him.
It looks like, judging by the relationships in Song of Solomon, Morrison has a pretty cynical view of human nature. I have to think about how that relates to traditional and non-traditional unions because although Pilate's home is the most stable, there are still mother-daughter relationships on display. I noticed something similar to Anna--the relationships are often one-sided, and what I noticed is that it's often a case of one person relying on another. Milkman needs Guitar's support. Even though their disconnect is vast, Guitar's there for him. He certainly provides more for him than the people he interacts with on the "pussy and Honoré parties" end of his life. Milkman can take up residence in Guitar's apartment for protection from Hagar, and even before those circumstances arose, he crashed there when he wanted to get away from his home. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Milkman's disposable to Guitar. Guitar has a slew of people who agree with him, and with his membership in the Seven Days, he has organizational support. Meanwhile, Milkman has nobody. His familial ties are severed, and the other connections he forms are next to meaningless, an extension of the vast gray area that is his lifestyle.
Ruth's relationship with her father also shows reliance. Just as Milkman can be vastly different from Guitar, she acknowledges that her father was an arrogant, foolish, and destructive man, but at least he cared about her, which made him unique. It seems she feels this way even after he's dead because she visits him at his grave site to fill a similar void in her life. In that, the reliance she has on her father becomes even more apparent.
I agree with everyone who said the relationships are complex and everyone who pointed out the inherent instability in virtually all of them. I do not agree that there is no real love between any of the characters in this book. I believe Macon and Milkman share a father-son bond that can be called love. Hagar is absolutely, passionately, uncontrollably in love with Milkman. Ruth has love for her father and her son despite how misplaced the love is and how she manifests it. Morrison does not portray any of those relationships as traditional. I think Pilate, Reba, and Hagar share a traditional family relationship despite how untraditionally they live. How the relationships resolve themselves- or not- by the end of the novel will show how Morrison comments on such relationships. Halfway through the book, we are still learning of their complexity.
Morrison obviously had fun with the relationships in the text. She decided to make each relationship complex and dramatic. But I really liked how she would give us a hint of each relationship (ex. Ruth and Macon, when he first talks about how she sucked her dead father's fingers; Milkman and Hagar, when he first falls in love with her). When we see the relationships from afar, they look static: Macon hates Ruth, Milkman has an infatuation with Hagar, Ruth loves Milkman unconditionally. But the more we read, the more these relationships develop and are uncovered. Personally, I love Hagar and did not think she was crazy. I felt so bad for how she was treated and I could understand her need to destroy the person that destroyed her. But I was wondering about First Corinthians and Guitars relationship...
So...I've been reading through people's posts, and I think we've reached a consensus:
The relationships Morrison portrays in Song of Solomon are just plain weird. Unnatural, as Auri said.
But are they really?
I'm not saying that most people go around snuggling with their fathers' corpses or hunting their exes when the moon waxes full (or however Hagar timed it). That's more than a little extreme. And - I think - that's Morrison's goal. She's showing the extremes of human relationships, the hottest hots and the most frigid colds. Just take every relationship in the book down a notch. Ruth misses her dead father. Macon Sr. and Ruth have an unhappy, unfullfilling marriage that is forced to continue by social constraints. Ruth seeks happiness in her children.
Hagar suffers from unrequited love. Milkman has trouble seeing beyond the superficial in the people around him. Guitar is trying to create some rationality in a world that would otherwise seem too unfair; his relationship with Milkman is based on the fact that he enjoys his friend's lighter outlook. Etc.
And even though that list doesn't even BEGIN to exhaust the many relationships of the novel, I think everyone can find something in there that they can relate to or, at least, understand.
Obviously, the relationships in this book are very complex, and very strange. One very bizarre relationship I particularly noticed was that between Milkman and Hagar. Although Hagar could be classified as crazy (she tried to kill Milkman how many times?), I did find something sweet about her twisted love for Milkman. She loves him so dearly she wants to be everything to him, she is even jealous of his mother. After reading the past few chapters, I couldn't help but feel bad for her- she spent years with a guy she loves who happens to be such a selfish human being he brakes up with her in a letter...harsh. Another relationship worth noting is the relationship between Milkman and Guitar. Milkman grew up wealthy for a black guy, Guitar poor and without a family; Milkman has a naive/idealistic outlook on the world, Guitar is cynical and violent. In the past few chapters, we have seen the two freinds veer off in different directions and I'm thinking this will cause more tension in the future.
I have found that the relationships in the novel are key parts in moving the plot along. Every relationship has a story behind it that allows the reader to learn more about the characters history. Everything becomes clearer as the novel develops and we meet new people. Milkman's confusion stems from his relationship with his father, which was altered a bit after hearing about Ruth's relationship with her father. Milkman then understands his father a bit more and why he hit Ruth and his relationship with Ruth. That is until we hear Ruth's side of the story—how her father was the only who cared how she lived. This just further confuses Milkman who has relationship problems of his own-- Hagar and Guitar. Hagar and Milkman have been "together" for years now, but we are now hearing that Milkman is getting sick of her, she's not the type to marry. He doesn't know what to do, but eventually decides to break it off in a “nice” letter. Now he has to watch his back because she's trying to kill him. When Milkman goes to Guitar for advice, he finds Guitar at the barbershop with Hospital and Railroad Tommy. We are able to see Guitar in a serious conversation about recent events dealing with the deaths of a black Northerner in Mississippi (Emmett Till) and a white boy in their town. When Guitar and Milkman leave, we further see how aggressive, narrow-minded, and bitter Guitar is. He is the opposite of Milkman. This relationship between these two friends shows the polar views African Americans held at that time. In contrast to Guitar, Milkman really hasn’t formulated decisions about anything. He is still trying to figure out his family’s history—sorting the truth from the fallacies. Once he discovers the truth about his mother, father, and grandfather’s relationship, Milkman will be able to live in the present and deal with the issues at hand.
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