Milkman In The Barbershop

How does Milkman's "mythological self" form throughout his life based on his background, childhood, relationships, and view on the world? Milkman's relationship with the women in his life Ruth "...[Ruth's] passions were narrow but deep. Long deprived of sex, long dependent on self-manipulation, she saw her son’s imminent death as the annihilation of the last occasion she had been made love to" (134). Ruth is deprived of love and affection in her life and the only way to fill that hole is to love and protect her son, Milkman, as much as possible. Pilate Pilate and Milkman are similar in the way that they can control the people around them, yet they aren't affected

Everybody bored him... The racial problems that consumed Guitar were the most boring... He wondered what they would do if they did not have the black and white problems to talk about. Who would they be if they could not describe the insults, violence, and oppression that their lives...were made up of?" (107-108) When Guitar and Milkman are in the barbershop talking about racism in their lives, Milkman can't seem to understand Guitar's way of thinking. Since Milkman has been one of the few privileged African- Americans, he doesn't feel the amount of racism and isn't aware of it as much as everyone else. His views on racism help him through his journey in life because he slowly awakens his ideas later on and realizes how it plays a part in everyday life as an African-American. "The reverend turned around and showed Milkman the knot the size of a walnut that grew behind his ear. 'Some of us went to Philly to try and march in an Armistice Day parade. This was after the First World War. We were invited and had a permit, but the people, the white people, did not like us being there... They did not care nothing ‘bout the uniform. Anyway, some police on horseback came – to quiet them down, we thought. They ran us down. Right under their horses"

Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity" (179). One of the reasons Milkman is so vain is because of his wealth and status as a black man. It was very rare during this time period for an African-American to have some sort of power. Milkman thinks he is superior to others because of his families success and that weighs him down from seeing what's going on in the world. Since he doesn't really face racism and oppression, he thinks it is unimportant and he should pay no attention to it. The way Milkman looks at himself "Milkman stood before his mirror and glanced...at his reflection. He was, as usual,unimpressed with what he saw/. He had a fine enough face... Taken apart is looked alright. Even better than alright. But it lacked coherence, a coming together of the features into a total self" (69-70). Although Milkman puts on the image of security and confidence, he is really unclear about his identity. He thinks of himself as an attractive person but doesn't see further down than that. Throughout the novel he tries to find his "total self" and embrace it. Childhood His name and