There are a lot of archetypes that apply to Songs of Solomon, but for the sake of leaving some topics for other bloggers I am only going to talk about three examples of situational, character, and symbolic archetype.
Situational Archetype:
The Quest: This archetype applies to Milkman as he is the Hero of this novel. The quest he is presented with is to find the gold that Pilate left in the cave in Pennsylvania after his grandfather was murdered. Both his father and Guitar desperately want the treasure Milkman sets out to find for their own specific benefits. Macon Dead (his father) wants the gold because of his natural greed and need to prove his worth in a society dominated by whites. Guitar wants it in order to carry out a plan on the Seven Days group. Essentially this quest is to bring “fertility back to the wasteland” (or gold back to this Michigan town) in order to restore peace (in the mind of Guitar with the plans of the Seven Days) and order (in the mind of Macon Dead a new societal order in which blacks have equal authority to whites). In a figurative sense, the knowledge and/or gold Milkman returns with will settle an old vengeance and feud between Pilate and Macon Dead – a familial peace.
The Journey: Milkman’s trip to Pennsylvania and then Virginia represent the journey that brings some truth that will help save his family/moral character/history. The truth that he ultimately finds is the story about his family’s lineage and culture. He understands the impact his ancestors have had on different people and society – and all that they have achieved and were capable of – this gives him a new sense of purpose, responsibility, and maturity. He has a revelation or in the strange terms of a monomyth cycle achieves the ultimate BOON! He then takes all the information he learns and brings it back to the rest of his family to help save all of the deteriorating relationships.
The Unhealable Wound: I think this is an interesting archetype and one that is probably open to a lot of interpretation. I believe this probably would have had to happen at an early point in Milkman’s life in order for it to symbolize his loss of innocence. I think this could be one of three events in the novel:
1) When as a young boy he realizes that men cannot fly – he then lost interest in life and became a selfish, ungrateful human being
2) When he realizes the story behind his name – the disgust he now feels towards his mother and the shame associated with the event
3) When he hears of both sides of the story between his mother and father regarding their relationship – Milkman realizes that they no longer love each other and that if anything there is only contempt and resentment felt between them (Milkman knows that his family is going to be eternally screwed up)
Character Archetypes
ReplyDeleteThe Hero: This is clearly Milkman. He is the protagonist whose life is a series of well-marked adventures. The circumstances of his birth were unusual – he was essentially conceived after Ruth drugged her husband with a potion concocted by Pilate. Then his own father tried to kill him in his mother’s womb and it was only from the protection of Pilate that he survived to his birth. The guardian he is raised by is Pilate who not only saves him as an unborn child, but also mentors him throughout his childhood and adulthood. He eventually does leave his hometown – has a revelation regarding his purpose and identity – and returns home a mature, responsible man. On this journey he leaves the pampered life he has in Michigan to face the unknown future and foreign circumstances of rural America. He endures many hardships and even risks his life numerous times (Hagar, Guitar, nature) for the good of his family.
The Mentor: Pilate is the mentor of Milkman – she is an older, wiser teacher. She serves as a mother and father figure for Milkman who has a strained relationship with his own immediate family – she is one of the few people he respects and listens to. Milkman does in a way give Pilate gifts – he is with her granddaughter, he visits her, listens to her, and respects her despite her reputation and rejection by society. She is his role model for strength, courage, power and righteousness.
Father-Son Conflict: The relationship between Milkman and his father is very strained and almost non-existent. The events of Milkman’s childhood and the circumstances surrounding his birth/conception illustrate the separation between them. Macon Dead does not approve of the relationship/conduct between Milkman and his mother (the breastfeeding thing) and he is sees his son as a shame – he didn’t even want his son to be born – he is a constant reminded about how much he hates and is disgusted by his wife Ruth.
Symbolic Archetypes
Innate Wisdom vs. Educated Stupidity: I think there a couple of examples of this archetype in the novel. The first being between Pilate and her brother Macon Dead. She is the one viewed by society as improper, immoral, and vulgar when in actuality she is the wisest character of this novel who understands the message of the novel, which revolves around familial love, and appreciation of heritage and individual awareness. Macon Dead, however, is viewed as a powerful and respectful black man – almost worthy of white society even though all he cares about is wealth and material success. Another example is with First Corinthians and Henry. She was educated in college and even went to Paris yet she is the one living her parents’ house depending on others for her well being and living in shame because of her job as a maid. Henry on the other hand is a poor and uneducated man who is wiser than First Corinthians because he is not bothered by what society thinks/judges, but rather he is proud of himself and their relationship.
Haven vs. Wilderness: As the Hero, Milkman is sheltered and able to regain his strength from the wilderness in the house of Sweetness. She takes him in, bathes him, loves him, and feeds him so he can regain his strength and resume his journey. Previously, he had to face the hunting trip and the woods in Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Colors: The blue associated with flight definitely represents tranquility and spiritual purity since that is Milkman’s ultimate goal of achieving and idea of finally acquiring freedom.
Numbers: Milkman is the third child so that speaks to the male principle and the Seven Days sorta represents the “perfect order” at least in the mind of Guitar and some other members of the black community.
In this blog post, I am going to focus on the situational archetypes because a majority of them are used in the novel. The first instance of a situational archetype that I found was when Milkman III is first dubbed Milkman when Freddie discovers Milkman being breastfed by his mother. This label of “Milkman” is his unhealable would, it was his loss of innocence and it is a psychological boundary between him, his family, and the society that they live in. The next situational archetype that I found was when Milkman ended his relationship with Hagar; this would be considered his Fall. Hagar’s descent into madness and her subsequent attempts on his life would be the punishment and it solidifies Milkman’s loss of innocence. His Quest/Journey would be classified as his search for gold and finding out his family heritage. His Ritual would also be his travels to find the gold and the people he meets along the way such as Sweet, and Circe.
ReplyDeleteFor character archetypes, Milkman would be considered the Hero as his circumstances of birth were unusual (Pilate gave a potion to Ruth in order to conceive Milkman), he had to leave his “kingdom,” (when Milkman left in search of gold), only to return later after he had reached manhood (Milkman discovered his family history). Circe would be considered Milkman’s Mentor during his travels. Circe gave Milkman the necessary family history he needed to reach maturity and to connect Milkman’s past and present. Also present in Song of Solomon, is the father-son conflict. Milkman and Macon have a strained relationship because of the “improper relationship” that Macon suspected his wife of having with Milkman. The Earth Mother would be considered Pilate because she is the medicine woman of the town who helps with fertility and growth. It is debatable but Guitar could also be considered The Evil Figure with a Good Heart because he is shown to be a good person but ultimately does the wrong things in pursuit of what he perceives to be the greater good.
Song of Solomon includes numerous examples of archetypes, including symbolic ones such as Haven vs. Wilderness. Milkman’s search for the cave takes place in a wilderness environment. In fact, his whole journey away from home takes place in a “wilderness,” in the sense that he has never really been outside of his hometown by himself for such a long time. Milkman’s haven is Reverend Cooper’s house in Danville. We can also see a sort of wilderness setting when Pilate and Macon’s father is killed and they have to fend for themselves in an open, dangerous world, which then included the cave as well. The haven, however, would be the refuge that Circe provides. There they are able to rest a bit before continuing.
ReplyDeleteThere is also a sort of crossroads that Milkman arrives at during his literally on-the-road journey. The actual place or time of decision of the realization/change is arguable and not concrete. The best argument is that it happens over the course of his journey away from home, although his discovery of the meaning of the Song of Solomon and his heritage almost direct leads to his acquired appreciation for this heritage.
The character archetypes are difficult to apply to Song of Solomon. While Milkman does go through the stages of a traditional, archetypical hero, his conditions are also unique, such as the fact that his journey is almost entirely independent. In such a case, there aren’t any loyal companions. There aren’t retainers who can advocate his strengths because no one knows him, and besides, he lacks any to advocate, at least in the traditional sense of strength. There is, however, an increasingly strong will not to find gold, but to find out more about his family’s past, which propels him to continue his journey. Among the heroic archetypes, Milkman would probably best fit “the other,” the “denied hero,” because his status really differentiates him from other archetypes and makes his heroism more unique. For example, he grows up with no clear direction in his life except that imposed upon him by Macon. His ability to break away from that represents his overcoming the equally unique difficulties which stood before him. Milkman’s journey is a quest for identity, as well as a journey in search of knowledge. It can also be considered “the fool’s errand,” as he is sent to look for gold that has not been heard of for decades. He is traveling to his relatives’ previous locations looking blindly for it. However, the fool’s errand soon transitions into the previously stated journeys, during which he seeks his family heritage and knowledge about his ancestors.
I think, so far, everyone has done a really thorough job in discussing the archetypes in Song of Solomon. I agree with what Derek said about the difficulty in applying the character archetypes to this novel. If we classify Song of Solomon as a myth (as defined by Bettleheim) then the novel is unique. So, while I do believe Milkman possesses Hero-like qualities, I don’t know if he completely fits the Hero archetype because his journey is so unique. I think it can be argued that Milkman is an “Unbalanced Hero” because of his Oedipus complex and overall pessimistic attitude towards life. Another character archetype in the novel is “The Outcast” who could arguably be Pilate, Reba, or Hagar, as all are blamed for their “crimes” against man – their inability to sacrifice their independence in exchange for social acceptance.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of situational archetypes, Song of Solomon definitely contains “The Journey.” Actually, this novel has several different types of archetypal journeys: the quest for identity, the quest for vengeance, the journey in search of knowledge, and the fool’s errand. Milkman is searching for his family history; his journey is fundamentally driven by a quest for knowledge. Guitar is driven to avenge all of the deaths of African Americans. And Macon Dead wants to find the gold he believes rightfully belongs to him (although his desire is truly foolish). In all of these journeys, the character is naïve and inexperienced, but he ends up finding meaning in his search. Also, Milkman experiences “The Initiation” when he is at Shalimar and he makes the connection between his ancestors and the song.
Haven vs. Wilderness: I agree with Haley on this one. I believe the "Haven" in Song of Solomon for Milkman is Sweet's house. She is the one person who takes him into her home, and takes care of him during his journey down south. Thus, her house is kind of like a pit-stop, for him to refuel and save his energy to continue his journey. Once he leaves her house, he returns to the "Wilderness", and is faced with dangers such as Guitar, who is trying to hunt him down and kill him, and other unfamiliar territories and individuals.
ReplyDeleteCrossroads: The crossroads are a time of decision when a realization is made. I felt as though the crossroads in Song of Solomon was definitely the point of time when Milkman finally pieces together the lyrics of the song that the children are singing, and connect it to his own life. From this moment on, he has finally figured out the answers to his questions, and has completed the main goal of his journey. After this realization he has a new positive outlook on life, and finally gives his life a purpose.
Light vs. Dark: The Light vs. Dark archetype was also seen throughout Song of Solomon. I felt as though this contrast was especially evident when Milkman agrees to go hunting in the dark with Calvin,Luther, Solomon, Omar, King Walker, Vernell and Small Boy. Compared to earlier on during the daytime when he was feeling confident about himself after his fight with Saul, at night Milkman is extremely vulnerable due to his lack of knowledge about the wilderness , and the fact that he has a poor sense of direction. For the first time, he realizes he is not as invincible as he once thought he was, and becomes cognizant of his lack of maturity.
There are many archetypes through Song of Solomon. First, the situational archetypes.
ReplyDeleteThe Quest, Milkman being the hero in the novel is on a quest to find gold but really to find whom his family is and where he comes from. It has an extremely significant role in the novel since Milkman quest mainly drives the plot. The task is somewhat similar to Milkman’s quest; Milkman, although it is no directly stated to the reader, he must find out who he is and where his family comes from. Milkman although originally driven to find the gold in his grandfather’s cave, is then changed to peruse his past and his family lineage. Milkman’s journey is to find himself and the true meaning for his life. He must reinvent himself in the sense that he must figure out what he is doing with his life and learn to change his ways and to start caring for people other then himself. It is his journey to not turn out like his father. The initiation is the many conversations that Milkman has with Pilate, Milkman learns some information about his family, but he is first the “treasure” in the family, as well as the man’s bones that Pilate has which turns out to be his grandfather’s. There is a very obvious battle between good and evil, the “battle” at the end between Milkman and Guitar. Although the text does not state who the “winner” is, as the reader we must figure that out ourselves. I believe that good wins, as I believe that Milkman achieves his ultimate goal of flight.
Character Archetypes: Very clearly Milkman is the hero. He is presented with a talk, or journey that he must complete. However, nothing in his life really comes easy for him, he has many problems, his relationship with his mother, relationship with Pilate-the other part of his family, his relationship with Hagar, and his relationship with Guitar. He must over come his seemly useless life (the beginning of the novel) and find himself-when he goes to Penn. He leaves his home and enters a new place, where his ancestors came from, to discover who he is and who his family was. He thus uses that information to help Pilate- helping someone bigger than himself. Guitar is the shadow figure. Guitar and Milkman are somewhat similar, they are friends, and thus could easily have the same beliefs. However Guitar took a wrong turn somewhere to allow him to believe that it is okay to murder people, but Milkman could of easily been persuaded to join Seven day group Guitar was in. Since Milkman did not it pins Milkman directly against Guitar, which ends in their fight at the end of the novel, where Milkman must literally choose between fight and flight. The Threshold Guardian is Hagar because she tests Milkman’s ability to create anything for himself, and let go of what he was- in my opinion a useless mean man. Since he is able to get away from Hagar, or let her go to begin his true journey to find himself, that makes Hagar the Threshold Guardian figure. If not for her who knows if he would be able to have the strength and courage to figure out anything about his family. Lastly, I believe that Pilate is the earth mother. She is represented as this because she does provide nourishment to all of her family- or at least she tries. All she is not wealthy, she has an abundance of knowledge and truth that she is able to share with her children and Milkman- and that knowledge allows Milkman to fulfill his quest/journey.
Symbolic Archetypes: The only symbolic archetype I was able to find was The Threshold. The threshold can be in a few places. One, when Milkman leaves Hagar, which signify his ability to finally disconnect to his “past” life, a life where he is cruel, mean, and useless. The other threshold is when Milkman discovers the story about his grandfather and then is able to bring Pilate back to her home.
Well, before I start, I've decided to add a part two to this blog. What type of archetype hero are you? I've decided I am a transcendent hero! Anyways, I would argue that Milkman is a Denied Hero. I don't entirely know what it means and looking it up didn't have the best of luck for me, but I feel like he is a guy who because he didn't know who he was, because he had a limp, had a screwed up family, he was able to become a hero. It was not like he was brought into battle or given superlimp (oh how I'm funny...)
ReplyDeleteMoving on, I agree with Haley with her symbolic archetypes. The numbers one was especially nice and interesting to read about in the packet. We also have our shadowy Guitar and the we have some nature vs Mechanistic world with Milkman understand Guitar when he happens to connect with nature under that tree in the hunting trip.
I agree with Derek that even though I labeled Milkman as a type of hero, it is overall difficult to label apply the character archetypes. A lot of the hero roles blend together within Milkman. Milkman does lack a lot of loyal companions like his hunting group of companions. I also have trouble thinking of a devil figure. Overall, I think that this book is more like an "On the Road" setting, with someone looking for his identity rather than a hero book.
On a side-note, I have to comment on how incredibly long some of these posts are. I keep picturing everyone furiously typing away at their computers for hours on end. You guys have so many ideas! Nice work.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, here are some archetypes I noticed:
Young Man from the Provinces: Milkman illustrates this archetype when he returns to his family's farm in Pennsylvania, as well as the Virginian town. These places are part of his heritage, as they are where his ancestors grew up. Yet, he is a stranger in these places, especially because he is a northerner. This stark contrast is evident when he gets into a fight with the locals for making a snobby comment about his car.
The Shadow: Guitar fits this description. As the story progresses, he becomes Milkman's principle enemy and fights with him. He may also reveal a darker part of Milkman's psyche. Like Milkman, Guitar is greedy and suspicious at times. He wants his share of the gold and questions the trustworthiness of his best friend. Milkman, too, exemplifies these traits; he seeks the gold with great determination, and constantly questions his ancestors, especially their past.
The Tower: Circe's crumbling mansion is not necessarily evil, but it is certainly isolated. The building decays and dogs continue to destroy it. Moreover, Circe is isolated from the rest of the world; people even suspect she is dead.
First, I think there is a surplus of archetypal journeys within Song of Solomon. The quest for identity exists within Milkman's search for himself through his exploration of his background and the history of his family. This leads to the quest for vengeance, which I think exists in Milkman's quest to find a certain reason as to why his family is the way it is. He holds this grudge against his family in general, because he feels as if he doesn't belong and thus this quest for vengeance exists. Furthermore, there is a journey in search of knowledge. I think along the way, as Milkman finds out more and more about himself he also discovers more of the meaning of life in general.
ReplyDeleteOf course, within Song of Solomon situational exist as well. The Quest exists as his search for the literal Song of Solomon and how by finding out who he truly is and discovering his family's roots he can "restore normalcy to a troubled land" or bring peace back home. Obviously, to go on this quest he must partake on The Journey, which involves his self discovery. I think the most interesting situational archetype though is the unhealable wound, which Haley references as possibly being the realization that men can not fly. I think that is clearly the unhealable wound within the novel and this proves to be the most intriguing aspect of the plot. Flight is such an interesting concept in that it represents this sense of freedom, but in the first few pages of the book, Morrison establishes that men can not fly. This proves to be crucial throughout the novel, because the idea of flight becomes just as important as the idea of being grounded. Milkman feels grounded in his fathers ways, and more importantly, this community feels as if society is grounded in its battle between whites and blacks (archetype: good vs. evil). Throughout the novel, Milkman continuously feels pushed further and further to the ground (the fall) because of various losses of innocence, whether its his relationship with Hagar or his discovery of the seven days. I don't think this idea of flying is nearly as important as the idea of being grounded. Finally, once Milkman discovers himself he isn't necessarily able to fly but he is released from the ground, or these ways he doesn't want to be connected to.
In terms of character archetypes, Milkman is clearly the hero, making it basically uninteresting to discuss. Yet, what I do find interesting is that in class we were so easily able to pinpoint Pilate as the Mentor, when in reality I do not think she is the mentor. Although in the beginning of the novel, she may give Milkman the tools he needs to succeed I think she as a component of his fall. Milkman embarks on his journey as an act of betrayal against Pilate (looking for her gold), thus how he could she still be his mentor. I really do not know who his mentor would be, but I think it is flawed to automatically decide it is Pilate. Because of the mentor - pupil relationship, I think it could even be argued that Milkman's father is his mentor (or Guitar). Obviously, there is a father-son conflict. I think the Shadow is Guitar. He accompanied Milkman on his fall and in reality he is Milkman's only enemy until the end of the novel. Guitar reflects the grounded ideas of Milkman's community. The Scapegoat is the insurance agent in the beginning of the novel. He displays the lack of flight and freedom.. he is unimportant in life but crucial in death.
In terms of symbolic archetypes, the maze is the forest and Circe's house. He most go through these treacherous (dream-like) places before he can truly find himself. By going to Circe's, he is taking a journey into the heart of darkness, aka into his own soul... This also represents the threshold.
Although my classmates have thoroughly covered many of the main archetypes within the story, I want to add a few extra examples I found while reviewing the book and course packet.
ReplyDeleteSince Milkman is the Hero within the novel, we can classify him as the "other-denied" hero because of his iconoclastic qualities, such as with his limp or from his separation from society during the early adult years (before he goes on the journey, when characters such as Guitar and Lena call him a reckless party-goer with little care for the people and world around him). However, I think it is also arguable that he is the "transcendent hero," as his fatal flaw can be considered dependence on others (ex. as a young child, he grows accustomed to being breast-fed by his mother until well over the age to stop, and this neediness for women to wait on him is then seen as his sisters do all of his chores while he "urinates" on them). Milkman even depends on Pilate to take the fall when Guitar tries to shoot him. This "fatal flaw" of dependence leads up his "downfall," which is the possibly fatal consequences of jumping at Guitar. Yet to come to this downfall, Milkman has achieved inner wisdom regarding his independence based on the identity he discovered through his past (like when he realizes the importance of liberation in the Song of Solomon). Because of Milkman's potential downfall while still achieving a “transformational realization”, he can also be considered a transcendent hero.
In terms of situational archetypes, "The Initiation" within Song of Solomon could be when both of Milkman's parents talk to him about their failed marriage. In his adolescent state, Milkman becomes aware of the tension in his parents’ marriage and he struggles to take a side, or find justification, for either of his parent’s actions. From the Initiation comes the Ritual, or the archetype that makes the character who goes through the Initiation then attain a distinct role in society. Milkman’s journey to learning about his family heritage shows this maturity from the Initiation has allowed made him more eager to find his roots, hoping that they will provide better insight into his past and help him find his self-identity better than the strained world of his parents can.
Another form of situational archetypes is “The Fall,” which Milkman experiences after he is chastised by his sister, Lena. As she describes that his careless character will get him nowhere in life, he loses the innocence of his adolescent years in careless rectitude and then decides to go on his journey for self-actualization. One character archetype I’d like to point out is Lena as the Threshold Guardian, for she tests Milkman’s dignity and to prove his maturity, he sets his sight on the journey.
Another example of a situational archetype within Song of Solomon is Death and Rebirth, such as in the heat of the moment when Guitar mistakenly shoots Pilate. Just after her death, two birds surround the site, and one picks up the snuff box into the sky, which represents Pilate’s name living on and her spirit being reborn in nature (which, at the same time, exemplifies Pilate’s role as the Earth Mother).
I completely agree with you, some of these posts make it look like some of you had too much free time during the weekend. Although my contacts are now dried out from reading all the previous post, I have to admit these are amazing posts, with great connections that I had not noticed when searching for archetypes. While all the archetypes I had found have already been covered I would like to add to the archetype of the quest. Danielle mentions a lot of the transformation the quest had, but I would like to go deeper in depth of the quest before it underwent this transformation into a search for identity and truth. The quest, when described as an archetype is stated as usually a search for some talisman, which will restore peace, order, and normalcy to a troubled land. The way I interpreted this description to the text is i related Guitar to the troubled land. By joining a group that indulged themselves in harming others, I saw it as a warning of trouble, in which Milkman, the "heroe" of this story would try to restore the peace. In this case, the initial solution was to find the gold (the talisman in this case) and let Guitar complete his mission, but as we see Milkman grow as we learn of his culture and past, we sense a growth in maturity that extends to his perception of his surroundings, and in this case, his friend Guitar's situation. When Milkman realizes he cannot have access to the gold, he abandons his search and seeks another type of wealth, which is the one acquired through knowledge. While not being able to help his friend as Guitar would of liked, he actually helps him even more. By not giving him the gold, Guitar fails at acquiring the needed explosives to succeed in his mission, and thus fails. But this failure is actually a success, for no one who was originally targeted is killed and it returns the "troubled land" to somewhat of an "order". Now when discussing this quest and how it went through a transformation, we notice that while originally a quest to find gold to restore the mental peace of Guitar, it changed into a quest to find and bring back the roots the Dead family once valued and shared. This original quest than transforms into the archetype of a journey, in which Milkman must travel to search through his heritage's past to find the truth behind his roots, his family's past and the song of solomon.
ReplyDeleteAs for character archetypes, the father-son conflict was one i noticed. For the entirety of Milkman's childhood to early adulthood, we get a sense of hatred between the father and his son, this un-understandable dislike that seems to have sparked from the moment Milkman earned his new name. Macon II has this power over the entire family that no one is willing to stand up to until finally Milkman stands up against him after his mother has been hit by his dad. This father-son conflict is very distinctive in that scene , but also mark the beginning of a change in power. From that point on that hatred decreases, to the point when Milkman returns from his journey, he is able to speak to his father almost freely, where no longer there is this imaginary wall keeping the two from being able to communicate as if part of the same family.
Now as for traditonal and non traditional unions in the text, I have decided that non of the unions are tradition. Some have the looks of a traditionally union, but once looking inside, as a reader we acknowledge that it is not traditional, and the exact opposite. In the union between Ruth and Macon Jr Dead, we expect a traditional union, for they are married and live together, and have a house, children and a nice car. But once you analyze the way they live, you realize the lack of love in the union, that with the years has been replaced with hatred. The only reason the couple remains together is for image purposes and to make it seem like the union isnt as non-traditional as it really is. Ruth's love for her own father, whithc overpowers her love for her own husband makes her marriage a love triangle with a dead man and her husband. This lack of traditionality ( i don't know if thats a work) makes the marriage weak, and strenghtens the idea that non-taditional unions are more stable than traditional ones. A comparable union is the one between Milkman and Hagar. Although it is not a "union", its a traditional relationship, and traditional relationships are depicted as the type that only go downhill, such as t=in their relationship which results in Hagar's death. A non-traditional relationship can be noticed between Sweet and Milkman, where sleeping with a prostitute is non-traditional, and usually seen as something negative to be involved with, this "union" without bonds is more successful, and sets the two individuals to an equal height in respect and understanding.
ReplyDeleteNow in the woman and their roles throughout the novel, I would like to point out to what katie said as really good points and touching every aspect of what I would have to say, but in echoing her thought, I do agree with that woman who depend on man are portrayed as weak, such as Ruth that lack power in her family because she tries to hard to gain back the love of her husband, and Hagar who grieves to her death when rejected by Milkman. Such need to have a man in their life and be dependent on them leads to their loss of power and respect, while woman who are single and proud of it are portrayed as stronger and more powerful than the man in the novels. For example Pilate's independence from man and the people who surround her, it gives her strength but also confidence, for she does not need anyone to feel complete in life.
Woman who are able to live on on their own are stronger, they are independent and able to rule their lives on their own.
ps: when i said i was completely agreeing with u, it was to what julia had said..and had forgotten to refresh the page. soooo woops
wow that phrase made no sense...i was replying to what had julia had said before me..thats all
ReplyDeleteCedric how are you a transcendent hero...do you plan on having a tragic downfall? I would say I am a proto feminist hero since that is the only one available to women.
ReplyDeleteSome other archetypes:
The Castle: Since this is characterized as a strong place of safety which holds treasure or a princess and may be enchanted or bewitched, I would say there are two potential castles. The first is Sweet's home. When Milkman is with Sweet, he feels safe and protected. They bathe each other and take care of one another. This is irrelevant, but I think it's important to notice how Sweet and Milkman have a reciprocal relationship. This is probably the first time Milkman directly shows a willingness to help towards another person. The second castle would be Pilate's home. The princess in this situation is Hagar. Pilate and her family make up the most magical and enchanting characters around, so this also fits.
Pilate- I think Pilate is interesting because she fulfills many archetypes, some of which seem to contradict one another. She is like a mentor, not only to Milkman, but also to Milkman's mother. In a way, I think Milkman is like Pilate's pupil in the sense that he learns about morality through Pilate. At the end of the novel, his appreciation for Pilate's lessons leads him to bury the bones with her. Pilate is also the outcast, which is seen from her physical differences (lack of naval) and the way she traveled from place to place. She is also the earth mother, which is exemplified through the eggs and also the description of her gravely voice.