Flight In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

Toni Morrison's novel, Song of Solomon, tells the story of Macon "Milkman" Dead, the son of the richest Negro in town. In part one of this novel Milkman spends most his life surrounded by people but feels alone. The only people he truly trust are his aunt, Pilate, and his best friend, Guitar, who have helped him grow into his own person. In the second part of the novel Milkman goes on a journey that is fueled by greed but ends in self-discovery and new respect for his family's past; a past that connects him to his lifelong obsession, flight. Morrison uses symbols and vignettes to covey the complex significance of flight within Milkman's life.

Morrison uses an abundant amount of symbols in her work that represent flight, some more obvious

than others. In the beginning of the novel Robert Smith is described wearing "blue silk wings,"(5) like a bird's. His wings are a symbol of flight, one in which he took off of Mercy hospital and died from. A day later Milkman was born with yearning to fly as well. Another symbol is Milkman's aunt who is named Pilate and while she was named after "… a Christ-killing Pilate," (19) from the Bible, her name has the same pronunciation as an airplane pilot. Since Pilate's name has a connection to flight it could've drawn Milkman to her in the first place despite his father’s orders to stay away. A day before Milkman is born Pilate tells Ruth, Milkman's mother, that "a little bird'll be here soon,"(9). The nickname little bird is a symbol of Milkman's future obsession with flight.

Morrison also uses vignettes to covey the complex significance of flight used.

To begin the novel she tells us the story of Robert Smith's first and last flight. He had "promised to fly from Mercy to other side of Lake Superior..."(1); although we later learned when "he leaped into the air"(9) he leaped to his death. Smith's flight was a way for him to escape a life he could no longer handle. Milkman discovered later in the novel that his great grandfather, Solomon, was a “flying African," (321). Susan Byrd, a distant relative Milkman had just met, told him why people around the town thought Solomon was a flying African. Solomon was a slave and had about twenty-one kids. One day he just "flew off"(323) and left his family behind. He escaped his slave and fatherly duties to supposedly fly back to Africa. To end her novel, Morrison describes Milkman's own flight. He finally discovered the key to flying was “If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it,"(337) and he did.

In Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, symbols and vignettes to covey the complex significance of flight within Milkman's life. Overall, flight is equivalent to escape for the people in this book. For Robert Smith it was leaving behind all his responsibilities, for Solomon it was leaving his slave status and going home, and for Milkman it was escape from his family and finally gaining

freedom.