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Theme Of Flight In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

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Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, is a novel about Milkman, a boy who was born after a life insurance agent hurled himself of a building in an attempt to fly. The book is divided into two parts, the first being about Milkman being encaged by his family’s secrets, unable to be his true self because of it. The second part being about Milkman’s freedom from his family’s grasp, when he leaves his home and learns who he is without his family dragging him down, he is able to find his true self. These two parts can be distinguished from each other by analyzing the themes that show up in the novel: flight, love, and death.
First off, what does flight signify? Flight signifies freedom and especially in Song of Solomon, flight is used to express the way Milkman feels. In part one of the book, Morrison writes “Mr. Smith’s … wings must have left their mark, because when the little boy discovered, at four, … -that only bird and airplanes could fly- he lost all interest in himself. To have to live without that single gift saddened him.”(Morrison pg. 9) Milkman has lived with this …show more content…

Love is what drove Milkman to his happy ending, with his love for flight. Part I exposes the reader to the type of love Milkman has towards Hagar, Macon Dead II towards Ruth, and Pilates love towards her daughters. First off, Milkman’s love towards Hagar at first seems to be real because he states that he loves her from a very young age. But later on, his love for her changes, “[s]leeping with Hagar had made him generous. Or so he thought. Wide-spirited. Or so he imagined.” (Morrison Pg. 69). Milkman does not love Hagar, he is just using her until he finally leaves her causing her to go crazy. This part is almost an exact replica of what happens in part II. In part II, as Milkman learns about his great grandfather Solomon, Milkman learns that Solomon had a wife, Ryna, and when Solomon left her and also his children, she was heartbroken and went

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