A Quest for Ancestry

We’ve discussed Song of Solomon as a hero’s journey novel, and I definitely agree with this idea. Milkman is essentially going on a quest for manhood and ancestry.

Before he embarks on his quest, Milkman is essentially a twelve year old in a man’s body. He’s immature, passive, and incredibly self-centered, all qualities that are reflected in Milkman and Guitar’s adventure in stealing from Pilate. Instead of simply brushing off the embarrassing end result, Milkman chose to learn from it, and in further pursuing the gold he was further pursuing growth and development. Journeying to Pennsylvania gave him a pride and appreciation for his ancestry, a stark contrast to the hate he’d harboured for his father all his life. It also gave Milkman his first taste of how racism affects him and his family. This development is important because, due to his privilege, Milkman never really had to deal with racism and thus never cared to take a stand against it. Finding out that the white family who killed his legendary grandfather was never brought to justice sparked the beginning of understanding the importance of fighting against racism and prejudice. Virginia (and Pennsylvania), on the other hand, showed Milkman the flaws within himself, specifically his own privilege and how he hurts others by ignorantly exercising his financial privilege. This journey was essential in transforming Milkman from a boy to a man.

Even more essential to Milkman’s transformation was ancestry. African slaves were ripped from their culture and heritage, and many of their descendants know nothing about where they come from or what culture belongs with their heritage. In order to find the gold, Milkman had to dig through his past and uncover the secrets of his ancestors. Not only did he discover a different perspective on his father (from the way he reacted to the people in Pennsylvania’s legendary idea of the Dead family), but he also uncovered his grandfather and great-grandfather’s history. Jake (or Macon Dead I)’s story is vital to Milkman’s development because it shows him what he could be. Up until his journey, the only black man Milkman had to look up to was his father, whose job and controlling personality repulsed him. Jake shows Milkman that being successful doesn’t always mean greediness and selfishness, and instead success can actually build up the community. In short, Jake gives Milkman an alternative role model in place of his father. Furthermore, in learning about Solomon, Milkman finally found the solution to his lifelong desire to fly. Solomon not only showed him his potential to fly away from the life that he feels enslaved in, but also further helped Milkman to understand what white people have taken away from him. Learning that white peoples’ racism took away his grandfather and the Dead family’s positive contribution to the community as well as tied down a flying man gave Milkman the push he needed to explore racial prejudice and its effect on him and the world around him, which played a pivotal role in his coming-of-age.