In the novel Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison uses a physical journey to show the growth of the character Milkman Dead. He goes from being a self-centered individual to being connected with his past and taking more interest in those around him.
Before Milkman decides to go to Shalimar, Virginia, he is criticized by his sister Lena for his shortcomings: “You have yet to wash your own underwear, spread a bed, wipe the ring from your tub, or move a fleck of your dirt from one place to another. And to this day, you have never asked one of us if we were tired, or sad, or wanted a cup of coffee. You’ve never picked up anything heavier than your own feet, or solved a problem harder than fourth-grade arithmetic” (p. 215). Lena points out that Milkman has been a selfish individual throughout his entire life. While he often complains about his situation and feels sorry for himself, he does not appreciate what others have done for him. His sisters have taken care of him since he was a baby, yet he does not acknowledge this, focusing instead on himself. His selfish nature is also evident in his relationship with Hagar, where he essentially uses her for pleasure and then tosses her away as soon as he grows bored. He shows no thought to her feelings, instead simply focusing on what he wants at the time.
When Milkman first arrives in Shalimar, he reasons with himself that he is only there to see if Pilate had brought gold with her and hidden it there. Despite trying to convince himself of his own greed, Milkman’s search for gold quickly becomes a search for his own family history. He seeks out a possible relative named Susan Byrd to see what he can find out about his ancestors, but on his first visit he does not learn much other than his own desire to find out more. Milkman becomes so deeply interested in his history that he manages to interpret a children’s song into a version of his history: “These children were singing a story about his own people! He hummed and chuckled as he did his best to put it all together” (p. 304). He uses this knowledge to go back to Susan and get his full history. The sense of satisfaction he gets from this discovery shows the importance of finding and embracing one’s heritage. Morrison makes it abundantly clear that embracing his heritage makes Milkman stronger at the end of the novel, when he is actually given the ability of flight, like his great grandfather before him.
Not only does Milkman learn about his family, but he learns about himself. Almost immediately upon his arrival it seems that the southern hospitality attitude rubs off on him a little. It was not long ago that he had been criticized by Lena, yet once he arrives in Virginia one of his first actions is to help an elderly man load a heavy crate. Milkman still has some trouble fitting in at first in this small town and ends up getting in a fight at the local store. He manages to defend himself without incurring any serious injury, and several men say they are impressed by his actions and invite him to go hunting. It is here that he has a true connection with nature and is able to see beyond himself: “He tried to listen with his fingertips, to hear what, if anything, the earth had to say, and it told him quickly that someone was standing behind him and he had just enough time to raise one hand to his neck and catch the wire that fastened around his throat” (p. 279). This action of losing himself and reaching out to nature rather than focusing on his own wants and needs alerts him to the presence of Guitar behind him. Guitar tries to kill Milkman, but because of his awareness through nature Milkman is able to save himself. This journey into the woods gives him more of a chance to be introspective then he could be around his father in the city.
His journey is wrapped up after a visit to the local prostitute Sweet, whom he seems to show real care for: “Afterward he offered to bathe her. She said he couldn’t because the tank was small and there wasn’t enough water for another hot bath. ‘Then let me give you a cool one,’ he said” (p. 285). This is an amazing contrast to the relationship he had with Hagar. With Sweet he is more caring, even offering to bathe her despite the effort it would take from him. This is an example of how far Milkman comes in his journey to Virginia. He grows from a self-centered individual into an enlightened man, who is able to bring what he has learned back home with him. It is this growth that shows Morrison’s beliefs on the importance and power of history and nature. The fact that Milkman grows as a person after finding his own history and connecting with the earth reflects Morrison’s own beliefs, and Milkman’s flight at the end of the novel further reinforces her idea.
