"He was as eager and happy as he had ever been in his life."
I think so far, chapter 12 is my favorite in this book. In it, Milkman consciously considers his entire life, his family, and his personality. He realizes that he's changed and reflects on what a jerk he has been. We were talking in class about how we weren't completely sure the change would carry over and how he may not consciously realize he has changed...but this chapter is proof that he has changed and taken note of that change.
As I was reading this chapter and reading through all of Milkman's "revelations" I was reminded of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce, which we read in Coming-of-Age. I remember being kind of disappointed by Portrait because Stephen Dedalus had SO MANY false "coming-of-age" moments. Reading Song of Solomon, I was a bit worried it would turn out similarly to the way Portrait did--leaving plenty to be desired. However, I am loving the way Song of Solomon is turning out. In this chapter, he has completely changed his way of thinking about his family, relationships, and all the women in his life (which is a huge deal considering the sexist ways in which he used to think), and he has also discovered significant information about his family and his past, not by being told creepy perverse stories, but by using his own mind and finding the information himself.
Milkman has finally (at almost 40 years old) grown up from the little boy in between his parents in the car, facing everything behind him but being made uncomfortable by everything he saw that had already happened without his input. Now that he can face his past, find his ancestors, and learn their stories, he has no reason to be scared of the past. Furthermore, when he thinks about the "perverted" part of the past now, it no longer seems perverse. He understand his "weird" mother and his controlling, greedy father. He's not selfish anymore and truly cares about how other people feel--his instinctive remembrance of Hagar when he was about to die has become more than just a passing thought. He now considers her feelings as important and significant, and even more importantly, recognizes his past cruelty toward her.
So the only question now is, will Macon Dead III escape death? Will he die at the hands of his first real friend, or will he be allowed to live a long life, enjoying the benefits of his new, mature personality?
1 comment:
At some point in college, you've *got* to find an excuse to write an essay comparing _Song of Solomon_ to _Portrait_. You're touching on a number of points of connection here, and the endings would be very interesting to compare, in terms of "false" versus "true" development. As Milkman becomes more empathetic and connected to his past, his "roots" or "links," Stephen "frees" himself from the "chains" of his past, his nation, his family, his religion. The trajectories of the "flights" are importantly different. I'd considered _Song_ as part of the CoA class originally, and now you're making me wish it was on there . . .
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