South in Toni Morrison文档格式.docx

South in Toni Morrison文档格式.docx

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SongofSolomon,ToniMorrison'

sthirdnovelinanincreasinglyvariedandrichbodyofwork,isaremarkablenarrative.Thenovel'

spowerliesnotonlyinitsrecoveryandrepresentationofAfricanAmericanexperienceinthemidtwentiethcenturybutalsoinMorrison'

sinsistenceonthenecessityofhealingherbroken,alienatedprotagonist,MilkmanDead.CentraltobothhismaturationandhishealingisMilkman'

srecognitionthattheculturalpastoftheAfricanAmericanSouthcontinuestocreatehistwentieth-centurypresentinwaysthatarenotconstrainingbutliberating.CriticshavetypicallyunderstoodMilkman'

sgrowthandhishealinginthecontextofthemythicquestortheclassicinitiationstory.'

Tobesure,Morrison'

snovelreflectsarchetypalinitiationpatternsfoundthroughoutwesternliterature,asMilkmanfollowsaquest,firstforgold,thenforknowledgeabouthisancestors.Likehispredecessorsinthebildungsroman,Milkmanmovesfromaselfishandjuvenileimmaturitytoacomplexknowledgeofadulthood.2Yet,Morrisondoesnotmerelyreinscribetheinitiationmotif.Rather,thenovelsubvertsthedominantmodelofinitiationfoundbothinAmericanfictioningeneralandinAfricanAmericanliteratureinparticular,asMorrisonrewritestheclassicAmericaninitiationstory.

InstoriesasdiverseasNathanielHawthorne'

s"

MyKinsman,MajorMolineaux"

andRalphEllison'

sInvisibleMan,theAmericanprotagonistusuallymovesfromaruraltoanurbanarea,fromtheprotectionandidentityofthenurturingfamilyandfriendstotheisolationandalienationofwesternindividualism.Suchamovementallowstheyouthtoescapetheconfinesofthepastinordertocreatehimselfasanindividualactingoutsideoftimeandconvention.Thisfreedomcomeswithaprice,however:

suchaninitiationtypicallybringsseparation,restriction,andaknowledgeofevil.3ThistropeisproblematizedinmanyAfricanAmericanworks,suchasFrederickDouglass'

sNarrativeandHarrietJacobs'

sIncidentintheLifeofaSlaveGirl,inwhichtheprotagonistmovesfromanoppressive,enslaving,agrarianSouthtoanenabling,industrialNorth.Fortheauthorsoftheseslavenarratives,leavingbehindfamily,friends,andevennameswasoftenessentialforescape.FortheAfricanAmericancommunityinthetwentiethcentury,however,MorrisonsuggeststhattheisolatingindividualismthaterasesthememoryoftheSouthdestroysspiritualandmoralidentity.

Thus,thetriptotheSouthiscentraltoMorrison'

ssubversionoftheclassicAmericaninitiationstory.Fortheconventionallypoor,naive,sensitiveyouthfromtheprovinces,MorrisonsubstitutesMaconDeadIII,nicknamedMilkman,anemotionallyisolated,alienatedblackmanwhohasgrownupintheindustrialnorthernmidwest,inaMichigancityontheshoresofLakeSuperior.4Astheprotagonist,heisyouthfulonlybecausehehas"

stretchedhiscarefreeboyhoodoutforthirty-oneyears"

（Morrison98）.Stilllivinginhisparents'

home,collectingrentsforhisfather,Milkmanhasyettoreachemotionalandsocialmaturity.Hispovertyisspiritual,notmaterial;

hissensitivityisthatofadolescentself-centeredness.HisinitiationtakeshimphysicallyfromtheurbanNorththroughaprogressivelyruralandsouthernlandscapetothehomeofhisancestorsinShalimar,Virginia.Whatbeginsasaselfishquestforgold,formaterialsuccessandescape,becomesaquestforknowledgeofhisfamilyhistoryandanidentitybasedonthathistory.SongofSolomonis,finally,thestorynotjustofoneman'

sindividualizationbutofthepotentialforhealingofacommunity.

Milkmanisindeednaiveabouthimself,hisfamily,andhiscommunity,buttheverynatureoftheknowledgeheacquiresmarksSongofSolomonasadifferentkindofinitiationstory.Theinitiate'

sknowledgeistypicallydefinedasalossofinnocenceandarecognitionofrestriction.Milkmanbegins,however,atthepointofrestrictionthatcomesfromseparation,fromthehyperindividualizationthatgrowsoutoftheAmericancultureofcompetition,capitalism,andracism.LikethetraditionalAmericaninitiate,hemustrecognizehisowncapacityforevil,buttheknowledgeofhisfamily'

spastandhisplaceinacommunitythatevolvedfromthatpastenablesMilkmantoascendratherthan,conventionally,to"

fallthroughknowledge"

（Fiedler22）.HisjourneyintoanAfricanAmericanSouthstripshimofsuperficialexternalmooringsandsubmergeshiminthecommunalandspiritualcultureofhislargerfamily.Withhisinitiation,Milkmanmovesfromapassive,irresponsibleignorancetoanactive,authentic,andliberatingparticipationinthecorporatelifeofblackcommunity.

TheAmericanSouthiscrucialtothisnarrativeofhealing,becausetheproblemforMilkmanandhisfamilyconcernsnotjusttherelationshiptothepast,buttoapastthatisspecificallycaughtupwiththehistoryofslaveryintheSouth.MorrisonsignalstheimportanceoftheSouthwiththeverynameofthesectionoftownwhereMilkman'

sauntPilatelives.Justas"

Southside"

servesasareminderofthesouthernoriginsoftheBlackpeoplewhopopulatethenovel,soPilateoffersMilkmananemotionalconnectiontohissouthernancestors.Lessdirectly,thenovelpredictsthenecessityofMilkman'

sjourneytotheSouthwithhisstrange,dream-likewalkdownNotDoctorStreet,inthewakeofadisturbingconversationwithhisfatherabouthismother.Ashetriestomakehiswaydownthestreet,onhiswaytoSouthside,hekeepsrunningintopeople,"

allgoingthedirectionhewascomingfrom"

（78）.MilkmanwillhavetomoveagainstthetideofBlackmigrationnorthinordertotranscendhisaimlessness,toliveforsomethingotherthansuperficialsatiationandpleasure.

DeeplyconnectedtoMilkman'

saimlessnessishisnamelessness.Morrisonusesknowingone'

snameasametaphorforknowingone'

spast,anditistheSouththatholdsthesecretofMilkman'

sfamilynameandfamilypast.Thenovel'

sepigraphbeckonstothepoweroftheancestralname:

"

Thefathersmaysoar,andthechildrenmayknowtheirnames."

ItisakindofblessingthatMorrisonbestowsonherfictionalblackcommunity,and,asLindaKrumholzhasargued,itcaptures"

thetensionbetweenblackmen'

smobility...andfamilialandcommunalresponsibilities"

（555）.Milkman'

sfamilyhaslostitsancestralname,achievingmobilityatthecostofintimacyandidentity.TheoriginalMaconDead,Milkman'

sgrandfather,receivedhisnamefromadrunkenYankeeattheFreedman'

sBureau.AccordingtoMilkman'

sfather,thefirstMaconkeptthenamebecausehiswifeinsistedonit,because"

itwasnewandwouldwipeoutthepast"

（53）.YetlosingthenameoftheancestorcausestheDeadfamilytolosehistory,community,andtraditionaswell;

thepastbecomes"

dead,"

andthelossofnamedamagesthepresentanunderstandingofthatpast.

NamesinSongofSolomonare,ofcourse,fraughtwithsignificance.Thenovelpoints,ontheonehand,totheimportanceofnamesintraditionalsocietiesofWestAfrica-theoriginofmostAfricansenslavedinNorthAmericawherenamesareidentifiedwiththeindividual'

sessence,withthecoreofone'

sbeing.5ForAmericanslaves,namesprovidedalinkwiththeAfricanpast;

inthenewworldslavesconductedsecretnamingceremoniesandusedtheirAfricannameswhentheycouldavoidthepresenceofWhites.YetthenovelalsopointstothecomplicatedstatusofsurnamesforAfricanAmericansintheUnitedStates.Thedenialofafamilyname,likethedenialofmaritallegitimacyandthebreakingapartoffamilies,preventedstablefamilyidentitiesforenslavedAmericans.AshistorianLeonLitwackpointsout,manyslaveholdersdidnotwantBlacks,beitbeforeoraftertheCivilWar,totaketheirownlastname,andformerslavesinturnrejectedthesurnamesoftheirWhiteownersassignsofillegitimateclaimstoownership.Butuponemancipation,whentobeacitizenmeantpossessingbothafirstandalastname,freedmensometimestooktheirmostrecentmaster'

sname;

moreoften,theyclaimedthenameoftheearliestmastertheycouldrecall,inordertoretainasenseoffamilyandidentity.6Otherswantedtochoosetheirownnames,rejectingsuggestionsfromFreedman'

sBureauofficialsandchoosinginsteadnamesthat,althoughtheywereofEuropeanderivation,allowedthemasenseofself-determination.

ThehealingofMilkman'

sownbrokenness-notonlyasanindividualbutasarepresentativeofanentireBlackgeneration-requiresMilkman'

srestorationtothecommunityofhisancestors,andthatrequires,literally,thediscoveryoftheirnames.BecauseMilkmanhaslosthisname-andhisheritage-hecannotestablishmeaningfulconnectionswithhisfamilyandhiscommunity.Hegrowsupfeelingexcludedandalone.ThefirstofseveralsymbolicmarkersofMilkman'

sseparationandhisbrokennesscomeswhenheisthefirstBlackinfantbornintheall-WhiteMercyHospital.Hisprolongednursingalsosetshimapart.Attheageoffour,havingdiscoveredthathecannotfly,Milkmanloses"

allinterestinhimself'

andlikewisehasnointerestinthosearoundhim（9）.Hisoldersistersdisplayonly"

casualmalice"

（10）,whileotherchildrenexcludehimfromneighborhoodsinginggames-thekindofgame,ironically,thatwillprovidetheanswertothemysteryofhisgreat-grandfather'

slifeandidentity.

Ashegrowsolder,Milkman'

sfailurescomefromhissenseofalienation.Thisalienationoriginates,inpart,inhislackofawarenessandinsightandh