Flight Metaphor in Song of Solomon - Essay Example

Flight Metaphor in Song of Solomon Introduction Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon is a novel published in 1977 and follows the life of an African-American man named Macon Dead III, also known as Milkman. Milkman is estranged from his cultural roots, community and family and also alienated from himself. The book is founded on the folktale of enslaved African-Americans who fly back to Africa in a bid to escape slavery. Morrison uses powerful imagery and symbolism of rising above and prevailing over the limitations of class, sex and race (Carter 69). She uses flight as the central figurative component that echoes throughout the story, an African-American equivalent of the concept of feminist, which alludes to many flights highlighting historical events and symbolizing essential points in the development of the characters. As a spiritually dead and mentally enslaved person, Milkman is helped by his aunt Pilate and best friend Guitar to take on a spiritual and physical journey in which he reconnects with his past and in the process discovers his self-worth. Flight has been used and portrayed as a means of escape but, however, can be viewed from a cynical perspective because of the consequences of the flights the story narrates. To this end, this paper will discuss the metaphorical use of flight in Song of Solomon. The mythical flight of Solomon back to Africa is a historical event that marks the remarkable start of a family disruption tradition and runs down into Milkman’s generation. It is learned that Milkman’s father, Macon ran away (fled) together with his sister Pilate after their father’s death as he protected his land. However, their flight from home did not end up positively as they later disagreed and parted ways (Huffer 30). Both the siblings ended up in the same town in Michigan but, believing Pilate embarrasses his social position, Macon refuses to talk to her. Song of Solomon is centered of the myth of the flying Africans and the Bible’s Song of Songs. The myth of flying Africans is centered on witch doctor that is said to have empowered African slaves to fly back home, and the flight symbolized the escape from slavery’s cruelties (Hall 32). The book’s forward has its first reference to the theme of flight when it is said that fathers may soar and children know their names. Song of Solomon is awash with flight as a metaphor, including Robert Smith’s suicidal flight and Solomon’s mythical flight back to Africa. It also talks of the importance of Milkman’s preoccupation with flight flying during his childhood (which also manifests itself in the story’s last scene) and the importance of a white peacock, an eagle and airplanes. The theme of flight also alludes to other flights such as black people’s historical flight from poverty, violence and slavery and Pilate’s metaphorical flight as he rises above society’s arbitrary boundaries (Carter 73). The story is also pervaded with allusions to flight such as the frequent reference to peacocks, ravens, hens and chicken. Characters such as Crowell Byrd, Susan Byrd and Singing Bird have names alluding to birds and references such as Feather’s pool hall, the “peck basket”, belonging to Milkman’s mother, of rose petals and Pilate’s eggs are also suggestions of birds. The theme of flight starts in the epigraph that narrates the story of fathers abandoning their children and ends with the flight that Milkman takes towards Guitar. Song of Solomon portrays men as flying off and leaving women and the community behind. The result of their flights is mixed emotions because while they are victorious to the community, the losses and heartaches it causes are also told and retold. On one hand, flying can be acknowledged as the central metaphor depicting the rising above and overcoming materialistic values and building on family values and personal identity. However, on the other hand, flying is also depicted as negative and self-centered activity that does not work in favor of those left behind (Hall 31). Song of Solomon portrays this negative image of flight by leading the readers to more complex questions rather than straightforward answers. From this strategy, readers discover the message that after uncovering his African roots, and also discovering his self-worth during the process, Milkman metaphorically and literally takes flight (Carter 77). Similarly, the reader also finds out that just like Milkman, every character that decides to fly is escaping from an impossible or difficult situation. However, the choice to escape is inextricably linked to deliberately abandoning community and family members, which appears selfish. In Song of Solomon, however, flight is largely seen as a desperate act in which those who choose to fly risk whatever it takes to get away from their troubled situations. As pointed out in the story, it is only when one surrenders himself to the air that he could escape and truly find freedom (Morrison 337). Racism is predominantly portrayed as the underlying cause of suffering in Song of Solomon with long-lasting and damaging repercussions on the society. Ironically, the theme of racism’s negative effects is also linked to the negative effects of flight in the sense that although people take flight in order to escape the suffering they leave behind more people suffering (Hall 29). For instance, although through his flight Solomon was able to escape the Virginia cotton field’s slavery, he essentially abandoned Ryna, his wife, ending his marriage to her and also abandoned 21 children. This act, when viewed critically, is one of extreme selfishness if a man was truly committed to his wife, children and family life and values (Huffer 46). Otherwise, according to the patriarchal nature of society in America, he should have stayed and remained the symbol of strength and unity for his family. Effectively, his flight began many generations of suffering and trauma. For example, Guitar’s knowledge of the fact that the death of his father was caused by the negligence of his white employers makes him oversensitive to the injustices against African-Americans. Then, men repeatedly abandon their women in Song of Solomon by their flights into freedom, and it can be shown that women suffer double the burden by those flights to freedom by their men apart from only being oppressed by racism. For example, after Solomon’s flight from slavery and back home, of which he had not warned anyone, his wife was not only left behind suffering in slavery but also taking care of 21 children on her own (Carter 76). Then, the society judged Solomon and Ryna differently and, for that matter, harshly. It is evident that Solomon abandoned his family and fled to Africa but, he is remembered generations later as the community’s brave patriarch. On the other hand, they remember Ryna as a woman who turned mad since she was unable to play her role of taking care of the children, albeit the fact that they were 21 and she was alone. Therefore, the flight of men away from their communities and responsibilities earns them praise as heroes while women who do the same are condemned for being irresponsible. Through his flight from Michigan, Milkman was also able to free himself by escaping from Not Doctor Street’s dead environment. However, on the other hand, he also made a selfish choice that led to the death of Hagar due to heartbreak (Carter 80). However, although these flights had negative consequences, the concept of human flight is still considered as both natural and possible by the characters of Song of Solomon. For instance, even though Smith’s flight resulted in his death, the onlookers were actually encouraging him to take the leap thinking his flight could be possible rather than, as would be expected, prevent him from taking it (Huffer 45). In his suicidal note, Smith said that he would wake up at three O’ clock in the afternoon and take off and fly away on his wings. He further urges to be forgiven as he loved everyone. Essentially, Smith is only unable to bear his life’s pressure any longer yearns for a way to escape. That escape, as he sees it, is in his flight and the consequential death. His flight is also linked to racism, as the story says he was a member of a group devoted to achieve a balance between blacks and whites, and that was one of the reasons he desired to escape from life. Thinking in similar fashion, Shalimar residents believe Solomon’s flight was true and not a myth (Hall 32). Further, Milkman had for long doubted that human flight was or might be possible, during which time the community viewed him as abnormal. In contrast, when he started believing that human flight is real, he stopped feeling alienated. Pilate, portrayed as visibly poor, was courageous enough to sing to Smith as he prepared to take his flight from the top of the Mercy Hospital’s roof. Her song gives a description of Smith’s frustrated wish to flee and foreshadows the central conflict of the novel, which while portraying flying away as being liberating also causes suffering to those left behind. Ironically, Mr. Smith left behind a message that said his suicide was a sign of love and that despair and guilt also played a role in informing his decision (Huffer 31). It may be argued that his decision to kill himself was more of victory than defeat when viewed from the perspective of declaration of control. However, analyzing that argument critically also informs the idea that only defeat and not victory may be informed by despair and guilt. On the contrary, when Milkman chose to end his life and leaped into the void towards Guitar, his decisions were neither informed by despair nor guilt (Carter 81). Rather, he based his decision on his newly discovered sense of self. As Shalimar’s gloom gathers, Guitar underestimates Milkman’s deep and growing independence and tells him that his day has come, but by Guitar’s schedule and not Milkman’s. Milkman had decided that he would no longer allow where he goes, what he does and when be determined by Guitar. That included Guitar controlling and ending his life. In order to assert his determination to take responsibility of his own life, Milkman decides he will end it in his own terms by jumping flying towards Guitar. This flight is metaphorical for uncertainty, since it is not clear whether Milkman lived or died, killed Guitar or embraced his killing arms. What is important is that he achieved flight, which was his ultimate fate (Hall 24). Since in his dream he could not fall from the sky, even in death Milkman could not fall from glory as he was already a hero. In her work, Morrison has metaphorically used flight alongside key themes of African-American literature such as the search of liberation, the journey back home and identification versus alienation. The search of identification and freedom is what links these themes through her depiction of people taking flight away from oppression and impossible situations. Conclusion In conclusion, the image of flight can be shown as a key symbol throughout Song of Solomon. Whereas it is used to signify true life and how to live it, a sense of release and freedom, its negative consequences are more pronounced. The negativity of the flights in Song of Solomon is in the fact that those who take them do not consider other people and, more importantly, the lack of consideration runs in the family. The mythical flight of Solomon back to Africa is a historical event that marks the remarkable start of a family disruption tradition and runs into Milkman’s generation. The flights are symbolical to escaping from suffering that is mostly caused by slavery. However, to further emphasize on the negative effects, they turn out to be selfish acts of individual redemption and leave behind a larger number of suffering people. Essentially, the ending of Song of Solomon is marked with Milkman’s ambiguous leap whereby it is not stated explicitly whether he or Guitar or both end up killed. However, and more importantly, this ambiguity also brings Song of Solomon to a full circle that started with Smith’s suicidal flight to Milkman’s flight, through which he learns how to fly like his aunt Pilate. Works Cited Carter, Ronald. Vocabulary: Applied Linguistic Perspectives. London: Routledge, 2000. Print. Hall, James. Approaches to Teaching the Novels of Toni Morrison. New York: Modern Language Association, 2001. Print. Huffer, Kirsten. Song of Solomon: The Language of Flight. New Jersey: Prentice, 2009. Print. Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Vintage, 1977. Print. Read More