Morrison's View of Race Problems
In Song of Solomon the
depictions of white and black relationships hint at Toni Morrison’s views on
race problems. There is a clear divide between white people and the black
community. The book is built around black characters and we barely ever see any
white characters. However, based on the time period and what is shown to us in
the novel we know that they are living in a white dominated and oppressive
world. This is shown immediately in the first chapter with the story of the
emergence of Not Doctor Street and even the reluctant delivery of the first
black child at Mercy Hospital.
Even
though white characters hardly appear in the novel, each time they do they
leave a trail of devastation behind them. This can be seen in Macon Dead I
being shot while sitting on a fence by a wealthy white family, and Guitar’s
father dying in a sawmill accident due to the white owner’s inattention. After
his father’s death the sawmill owner brings the newly orphaned Guitar candy to
make up for his loss. Guitar is left angry and with a terrible need for revenge
against all white people. His vendetta leads him to attempt to murder Milkman,
an innocent black man. Morrison uses this storyline to show that retaliation,
hatred, and violence are not acceptable responses to racism and oppression. She
shows that Guitar’s actions do nothing but harm his cause. Milkman, on the
other hand, realizes his own personal potential and frees himself from the
oppressions of the world around him and himself in order to grow past what has
been restraining him.
Morrison
uses the race problems depicted in Song
of Solomon to teach that those being oppressed will not succeed in their
ambitions to liberate themselves from their oppression by stooping to the
levels of their oppressors. Rather, they must rise above them and teach each
other to first discover their own self-worth. Through that they can begin the
climb and true fight to break the bonds of racial oppression.
I love this post, omg. It'd be a debate going on during the time period this book is set: black empowerment through violence & anger or through self-empowerment & love. Milkman and Guitar both have their lives fundamentally disrupted by white people, but in the end Milkman is able to rise above, while Guitar is stuck in a circle of destruction.
ReplyDeleteJess, this is an amazing post! I like your detail and your analysis. I think another thing we can from the book about Morrison's views is that self-love starts with examining and accepting where you've come from. As we saw, the only time in the book when all is "well," is after Milkman's learns of his family and finds pride in them. Such hints that Morrison believes that comfortability in oneself is helped by acceptance in one's family. Great work, Jess.
ReplyDeleteThe contrast between Guitar and Milkman is so interesting. Like you said, Guitar’s violent tendencies lead him nowhere, just to the oppression of his own race, while Milkman’s self-discovery frees him. But another layer to this is how Morrison seems to critique Milkman’s passivity in the first part of the book, and as we discussed in class basically representing him as an overgrown child. I think that this means that Morrison is saying that violence is not the answer, but nor is passivity, rather reclaiming black culture and heritage, and trying to liberate themselves from white-dominated society. Interesting post, it made some great observations!
ReplyDeleteI really agree with this post. I think that both extremes, violence or not taking any action, wont solve social problems. I think this book does a good job showing that violence ultimately does not equate to progress. Good post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post! I think Songs of Solomon does a fantastic job showcasing the racial issues apparent in the 1960's time period. Although the Seven Days *probably* does not exist, the racial and cultural divides between the two groups are incredibly realistic. Providing Guitar to be a direct contrast to Milkman and having the story largely viewed through Milkman's eyes really gives the reader an accurate depiction of 1960's race relations.
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