Ok so Blog Space is mad at me so I'm posting randomly here...sorry!

wow! everyone put a lot of thought into their posts! But i have to disagree with Danielle and Jordan and more agree with Saranya in regards to Pilate.I think Pilate is definitely the mentor with giving Milkman the tools he needs to go on his quest. Even his quest for gold is indirectly fueled by Pilate - so without her, he would not have gone on the quest which eventually led to his search for his heritage. It’s interesting that Morrison chooses a woman to play this mentor role, having her really take the place of the customary ‘father’ figure that would mentor the young man into maturity. I also think it’s key to see how Macon II views Pilate that first time we see him interact with her: him viewing from the outside her family singing, him envious of that music. We see this relationship between man and woman with the man envious of the woman, who has a higher position spiritually and intellectually. Having Pilate, this strong, confident, manless woman as Milkman’s mentor really shows the reader the equality between men and women if not the superiority of women (yes, this may be biased as the book is written by a woman and I am a woman writing this commentary). But I think it’s important that only once Milkman can see this equality can he fully mature. Also, it could be argued that Pilate a Jesus Figure – the hero as a scapegoat. Once Pilate dies, Milkman can ‘leap’ symbolizing mankind’s redemption. Pilate suffers so that others can survive and thrive; she takes as little as possible for herself so she can give Hagar everything; she is this outcast from society, suffering, even though she’s unique in order to better humanity. Also, Pilate can be a superheroic archetype – one with divine powers (definitely supernatural as she has no naval) and who does not belong (again, regarded by society as an outcast) but is needed by society. The superheroic, mentor, and scapegoat archetypes can all be seen with Jesus – he has ‘divine’ powers, is the example of a scapegoat (dies from man’s sins) and a mentor to most Jews in the New Testament (definitely gives the apostles the tools to survive). I don’t think it’s a stretch to compare Pilate to Jesus in all 3 respects (as reasoned above). Once Milkman realizes that Pilate is all of these things, Milkman can really be free.

If we look at the archetypical relationships in a religious stand point, I think it's very interesting. We already see Pilate as Jesus. Hagar's name is actually from the story of Abraham's concubine who starts the line of the Ishmaelites (as opposed to Israelites). Then, we could argue that Milkman is Abraham - which almost makes sense as Abraham is the patriarch for Christianity, Judaism, and Islam so he symbolizes this new revelation that will change the world (which Milkman I think does represent). It wouldn't be a stretch then to call Sweetness Sarah - Abraham's wife who starts the line of the Israelites. Interestingly, Sarah means 'lady' or 'princess' in hebrew. Sweetness is the first women we see Milkman really treat as an equal. This is evident by the scene of the two together: "He soped...she put...he washed...she sprinkled" alternating the pronouns each sentence shows how Milkman has grown since the beginning of the novel (285). we could also argue that Solomon was Noah (as Abraham is suppose to be Noah's descendent). Noah saved humanity supposedly which Solomon could be argued to represent: once MIlkman realizes Solomon is his great grandfather and understands what SOlomon understood (the flying concept) Milkman too can leap and be free. Maybe this is all a gigantic stretch?

Also, really sorry for posting this so late. I was away all weekend without internet and my plane was delayed getting home last night so I didn't land till 4 this morning and I just totally crashed once I was home....sorry!!