South in Toni Morrison.docx

South in Toni Morrison.docx

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SouthinToniMorrison

SouthinToniMorrison'sSongofSolomon:

Initiation,healing,andhome,The

StudiesintheLiteraryImagination, Fall1998 byLee,CatherineCarr

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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