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Milkman's Birthday
"The next day a colored baby was born inside Mercy for the first time. Mr. Smith's blue silk wings must have left their mark, because when the little boy discovered, at four, the same thing Mr. Smith had learned earlier--that only birds and airplanes could fly--he lost all interest in himself" (9).
The scene at the beginning of the novel begins the circle of life within the story. Milkman ends his life when he jumps off a cliff, which reflects Mr. Smith's jump when he was born. -
Milkman gets his Name
"She felt him. His retraint, his courtesy, his indifference, all of which pushed her into fantasy" (13).
" 'A milkman. That's what you got here, Miss Ruffie. A natural milkman if ever I seen one' " (15).
At the age of four, Milkman's mother still breastfeeds him. As a result, a renter of Macon Dead's, Freddie, names Macon Dead III, Milkman. In the beginning, Milkman does not understand where his name, his identity originates. -
The Dead Family Visit Honoré
" 'There's a beach community out there, Lena. Your father wants to look at it. ' Ruth reasserted herself into the conversation.
' What for? Thoe are white people's houses' said Lena" (33).
Milkman goes on a family drive with his family, in their Packard, to visit a white-family community. The trip introduces the struggle for Milkman to understand society's racial biases and expectations. -
Milkman Finds a Dead Bird
" 'Hello, Daddy.' 'Hello, son, tuck your shirt in.' 'I found a dead bird, Daddy.' 'Don't bring that mess in the house' " (28).
The dead bird can no longer use its wings, and is therefore left on the ground as a vulnerable target to its predators Macon does not want the bird in the house because the bird will reinforce the mess in which blacks find themselves in society. The situation introduces Milkman to race and justice issues surrounding him everyday. -
Milkman and Guitar Visit Pilate
"And while she looked as poor as everyone said she said she was, something was missing from her eyes that should have confirmed it" (38).
Milkman and Guitar visit Pilate, who eventually tells them that she does not have a navel. Mystified, Milkman begins to think about her various characteristics and how they affect her identity. He then starts thinking about his whole family and its heritage. -
Milkman Realizes that One of his Legs is Shorter than the Other
"By the time Milkman was fourteen he had noticed that one of his legs was shorter than the other" (62).
Milkman's discovery that one leg is shorter than the other seems minor, but represents his struggle to find his identity. For, he does not forget about the imperfection, because he does not know how it affects his identity overall. -
Milkman Hits his Mother & Macon Recalls Dr. Solomon
1) "He felt a glee. A snorting, horse-gallopping glee as old as desire. He had won something and lost something in the same old instant" (68).
2) " 'I knew then they'd ganged up on me forever--the both of them---and no matter whatI Idid, they managed to have things her way' " (71).
Macon surprises himself more than anybody else when he hits his father. For, he proves to himself that he can carry his own weight, and his mother's, against the ruler of the household, his father. -
Hagar Tries to Kill Milkman
"Either I am to live in this world on my terms or I will die out of it" (129).
Hagar repeatedly tries to kill Milkman, because Milkman will not maintain their relationship. He no longer finds her interesting or pleasing, which devestates his cousin, and long-time girlfriend. Macon analyzes himself in the situation. He further develops a sense of "who he is" after Hagar comes within an inch of killing him. -
Milkman Watches his Mother Plant Bulbs
"Nobody is more serious than my mother...I've never in my whole life heard my mother laugh" (104).
"[the flowers] were smothering [Ruth], taking away her breath with their soft jagged lips. And she merely smiled..." (105).
Milkman sees his own mother, with whom he has lived with for his entire life, smile for the first time, which demonstrates her isolated life from society. -
Milkman Buys his Family and Hagar Christmas Presents
"The gifts Milkman had to buy were few and easily chosen in a drugstore" (90).
"He would buy her for Christmas, of course, something nice to remember him by, but nothing that would give her any ideas about marriage" (91).
Macon buys cheap, unthoughtful gifts for his family, which reveals his senseless mentality toward the closest people in his life. -
Guitar Tells Milkman about the Seven Days
"They call themselves the Seven Days...Their secret is time. To take the time, to last. Not to grow; that's dangerous because you might become known" (155).
Milkman learns about the Seven Days from Guitar, who is a member of the exclusive club. Milkman cannot fathoom the ideas of the club, because of its racial profiling. Guitar tells Milkman to be worried, because of Milkman's "white" behavior and societal appearance. Milkman begins to associate his behaviors with his race and the white race. -
Milkman Follows his Mother to Fairfield
" 'I don't know what all your father has told you about me down in that shop you all stay in. But I know, as well as I know my own name, that he told you only what was flattering to him' " (124).
Milkman's conversation with his mother about the Foster family past makes him question the credibility of his father's stories, and his mother's statements. He continues to struggle with his family heritage. -
Macon Tells Milkman About Pilate and the Gold
" 'She calls it her inheritance' " (163).
Macon tells Milkman about the green sac hanging in Pilate's kitchen that is supposedly "her inheritance," which foreshadows the actual contents of the bag. For, Pilate and the rest of the Dead family realize, by the end of the novel, that it really is her, and therefore Milkman's inheritance that she's kept hanging from her ceiling. -
Milkman Meets Circe
"Everything in this world they lived for will crumble and rot" (247).
Circe wants her weimaraners to tear apart the Butler's house in order to establish a justice between races. The Butler family killed Macon Dead I and received no punishment, because they were white and the Deads were black. Thus, Circe wants to destroy the unjust past. Milkman cannot believe that police authorities did not do anything to help his grandfather. He begins to piece together society's hatred against blacks. -
Macon's Car Breaks Down in Shalimar
" 'Yep. What's the trouble? Mebbe one a us can fix it. Where you headed?'
'Shalimar'
'You standin in it'" (261).
The conversation between Milkman and the man in the store depicts the coincidence that Milkman's car would break down in his destination. Milkman's lack of awareness is evident, as he does not know where he has landed. -
Milkman Hears Little Kids Singing
"...while the others sand some meaningless rhyme:
Jay the only son of Solomon
Come booba yalle, come booba tambe
Whirl about and touch the sun
Come booba yalle, come booba tambee..." (165).
Although he finds the tune "meaningless", Milkman still finds the song interesting, as if he were connected to the song. The line, "whirl about and touch the sun" highlights the idea of flying away from Earth, and greeting the sun--light, hope. -
Milkman and Guitar Reconvein
" 'Oh, shit. Guitar, that wasn't no gold. I was just helping that man lift a crate. He asked me to help him. Help him lift a big old crate. I did and then I split' " (296).
Although Guitar reasonably thinks that Milkman would take the gold and not share any, Milkman did not find any gold. The exchange demonstrates Milkman's changing behavior that caters to the benefit of people beyond himself. -
Milkman's Exchange with Sweet
"He made up the bed. She gave him gumbo to eat. He washed the dishes. She washed his clothes and hung them out to dry" (285).
Milkman's exhcange with Sweet demonstrates his changing character. For, he actually does something in return to Sweet's favors of washing his clothes and feeding him. Milkman begins to appreciate the things that other people do for him. -
Milkman Meets Susan Byrd
"She motioned to a gray velvet wing-back chair" (287).
"It wasn't true what he'd said to Susan Byrd: that it wasn't important to find his people" (293).
Susan Byrd's winged-chair depicts the opportunity Milkman has to learn about his heritage. However, he tells Susan that it wasn't important to find his people, which, at first, prevents Susan from freeing her knowledge about the Dead Family. -
Milkman Pieces the Meaning of "Song of Solomon" Together
"Milkman had four people now that he could recognize in the song: Solomon, Jake, Ryna and Heddy, and veiled reference to Heddy's Indianness. All of which seemed to put Jake and Sing together in Shalimar, just as Circe had said they were" (304).
Mlikman pieces together his heritage in the song that he once thought was "meaningless." -
Milkman's Swim
" 'He could fly! You hear me? My great granddaddy could fly! Goddam!' He whipped the water with his fists, then jumped straight up as though he could take off, and landed on his back, and sank down, his mouth and eyes full of water" (328).
The swimming scene represents Milkman's climax to his life-long curiosity about his family heritage. For, he has figured his heritage out. After the event, however, his life rapidly rolls down hill. -
Milkman Dies
"For now he knew what Shalimar knew: If yo surrendered to the air, you could ride it" (337).
After Pilate dies, Milkman jumps into Ryna's gulch in the direction of Guitar. The event reflects the "Song of Solomon" and also completes the circle of life that began in the beginning of the novel. For, he jumped from a high altitude, just like Mr. Smith at the inception of the novel.
