Like Father Like Son
The book called Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, deals with many real life issues, most of which are illustrated by the relationships between different family members. One archetypal relationship that Morrison includes in her book is the father:son relationship. Although it is obvious that Morrison does talk about this topic, it is not so obvious what she is trying to say about it. So, one might ask, how does the author establish the father:son relationships throughout Song of Solomon and do they fit some sort of archetype? To answer a question such as this, it would be beneficial to examine the actual father:son relationships throughout the book. One established father:son relationships that is significant to this issue is the one between Milkman and Macon. From the start, Macon objected to Milkman even being born; he forced Ruth to do things to her body that could possibly kill the fetus. With a little help from Pilate, however, Milkman was allowed into the world. Macon, perhaps instigated by never having a mother and seeing his own father killed, has always appeared to be a cold and unforgiving parent even to his other children besides Milkman, but since Macon heard that his sonıs nickname was ³Milkman² he has seen him a
As Milkman grows up, he recognizes the emotional distance between his father and himself. He goes his own way with a few skirmishes here and there and later he even manages to hit his own father. As Macon and Milkman grow apart and go their separate ways, Milkman doesnıt even think twice about it and just continues on with his life as if nothing was different. Near the end of the book Milkman seems to change his view of his father, with some help from the positive memories of the old men in the passage. Milkman grew up thinking that his father was a cold-hearted, hot tempered control freak who was only interested in gaining money and property. He came to realize that although there was some truth to what he thought, Macon was not inhuman. This is displayed in the passage when it states, ³His own fatherıs words came back to him: I worked right alongside my father. Right alongside him.² Even though Macon was against Milkmanıs birth, he came to cherish his only son in his own way. Probably under the impression that showing affection was a sign of a weak man, Macon held back what feelings he had for his son. Milkmanıs feelings about his fatherıs shows of affection are described when Morrison writes, ³Milkman thou
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Approximate Word count = 822
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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