A Feeling of Vengeance

                Guitar, up to now a discrete and subtle character when discussing racism, experiences a complete change in personality in this section of the book. He becomes part of a very exclusive society of African Americans that are organized to kill whites as a form of vengeance for the killing of blacks. In it very interesting to see the calmness with which Guitar presents his new role and the importance he gives to certain of its characteristics. For example, the fact that the members of this organization do not give importance to who or how the killing was done, just that it happened. Also, it is important to highlight that the resentment does not go only to the whites that have murdered African Americans, but to all the white population in general. This can be seen when Guitar states, “It doesn’t matter who did it. Each and every one of them could do it. So you just get any one of them” (p. 155).

            In Booker T. Washington’s speech, he declares that African Americans can be very good citizens and quite helpful community members if they were given the opportunity to be so. Washington presents the problem from a positive point of view, stating what benefits could be attained if African Americans were given the same privileges as whites. On the contrary, Guitar presents the issue from a negative point of view, stating the consequences that will occur in whites continue their mistreatment and racism. Both of these individuals have radical opinions on racism, but have very different ways of expressing them. I believe that Washington’s perspective is much more effective since it is encouraging whites to work together in order to build a stronger and healthier community, rather than taking revenge for past actions, which will only increase the tensions between the members of the two races.

    

Racism Begins to Enter the Stage

            Up to this point in the book, Toni Morrison had used the narrator and the characters in order to make discrete insights about her views or racism and segregation. However, in this section of the book, the implications start being much greater and much more explicit. This can be seen when the narrator states, “And forty years ago Fairfield was farm country with a county cemetery too tiny for anybody to care whether its dead were white or black” (p. 123). This shows the importance that race has on how an individual is viewed, either dead or alive. Milkman once again appears practically as the main character of the novel and is the one that has some of the strongest opinions about racism, along with Guitar. Another important point to mention is the fact that Morrison wants to point out that even in the smallest and most remote towns of the country, African-Americans are being segregated from the rest of the community.

            “Why couldn’t anybody in his whole family just be normal?” (p. 123). I found it very interesting to observe the way in which Morrison is able to discuss two very different topics on the same page. In the first paragraphs, she discusses segregation and racism in Fairfield, and in the last few paragraphs she switches to discussing Milkman’s family problems. These sudden transitions are usually very harmful to the flow of the text, since they interrupt the chain of thought that the reader is having and switch to another idea. However, Morrison is able to link the two distinct topics in a very effective way. This allows her to provide some historical and thematic insight on racism without losing the essence of the novel and its plot. Racism begins to enter the novel not as a secondary them, but as one of the main themes.

 

Milkman and Guitar: A Profound Relationship

            In this section of the book, Toni Morrison focuses a great deal on describing the relationship between Milkman and Guitar. I found it interesting to observe how this relationship is much more than one that two casual friends might have. The degree of tension to which these characters arrive in some situations demonstrate that they need one another in order to be able to fully express themselves. It seems that Milkman can only be truly honest with Guitar and Guitar can only be truly honest with Milkman. However, this relationship begins to crumble when each of them finds out that the other has many secrets that he has been hiding for a long time. Nevertheless, they start talking and in the end, they regain the trust they have had in one another all this time. This can be seen when the narrator points out, “They were easy with each other now that they didn’t have to pretend” (p. 114). This is true for almost any relationship; when individuals begin to pretend to be someone they are not, the relationship falls apart.

            In addition, the profound discussions brought about by Milkman and Guitar also contribute to the theme of racism. Since they are having a friendly conversation, the author can throw some of her own opinions about the topic either through the narrator’s interventions or through the characters’ dialogue. Therefore, these discussions not only develop the plot of the story, but have a much more complex meaning. They represent the conversations that most African Americans had at the time about the injustices being done to them and the inability to do something about them. This inability is what frustrates them the most, since you are seeing the injustices being made but you know there is nothing you can do to stop them.

 

An Unjust World

            Toni Morrison continues the novel emphasizing on Guitar’s thoughts and ideas. This character provides, up to this point, the most valuable insights on the topics being examined in the book. In a discussion with several other men, Guitar is offended by the idea that just because some people are white they will not go to jail. This is exposed when he states, “They always say that. He could have had a wad of bubble gum, they’d swear it was a hand grenade” (p. 82). This is a strong critic to the United States judicial system, since it is declaring that this branch of the government is very biased and cannot hold an objective case when dealing with people from different ethnic backgrounds. I believe this is one of the main sources of violence in a country, since if people hold a grudge on the system and feel they are always presented as guilty no matter what, they will purposely disobey the laws established by the government.

                In order for a society to function correctly, the majority of its members have to believe that the government that is leading them is working for their benefit, or at least not against it. African Americans constitute a fairly large portion of the United States population and they definitely did not belief that the government was helping them in any sense. Some got to the point, as Guitar did, of stating that all of what the government called “truth” was as a manipulation of the versions of whites in an attempt to condemn the African Americans. This is pointed out when Guitar states, “You stupid, man. Real stupid. Ain’t no law for no colored man except the one that sends him to the chair” (p. 82). There was no rights for African Americans, but there certainly was laws that sent them to jail and even to the death row.

  

Highlights and Critics

            Philip B. Corbett presents some highlights about special entries written in the newspaper in the past week. I found it very interesting to observe the way he responds to the entries. Corbett is able to make his point clearly and directly in a very concise manner. This makes the reader thoroughly understand him and either sympathize with him or disagree with him immediately. This way of evaluating the entries gives Corbett credibility, since the readers do not feel that he is trying to persuade them of thinking one way or another but is simply stating the main characteristics of the writing piece and giving a thoughtful insight on them. However, Corbett criticizes the constant use of dangling modifier, which adds ambiguity to the sentence in which they are present. A dangling modifier is an error caused by not placing the noun being modified next to its modifier.

            These modifiers are very common in day-to-day conversations since they have become part of the way we speak. Corbett, consistently states “rephrase” at the end of his analysis, giving the sense that the only way to fix this error is by restating the whole sentence again. Now that I think about it, there are times when I have used a dangling modifier. For example, this is the case when I say “Hoping to excuse my lateness, the note was given to my teacher.” One factor leading to my use of dangling modifiers might be the direct translation of the sentence from Spanish to English. Although the person who uses the modifier understands completely what he is trying to say, the other individuals, especially if it is a written piece, might have trouble understanding that sentence. Also, it is crucial to point out that by fixing these grammatical mistakes, one can add a lot of credibility to his writing and improve his accurateness. It is not merely a matter of polishing your grammar, but of transmitting your message in a clear and effective manner.

    

Hiding Issues

            The narrative continues on at the same pace; however, it focusses more on the life of Milkman. He probably becomes one of the main characters of the book from now on. I found it very interesting to observe how the narrator depicts one of Milkman’s physical problems. For example, he states, “By the time Milkman was fourteen he had noticed that one of his legs was shorter than the other” (p. 62). The approach Milkman took to deal with this issue was very conservative, since he found ways to avoid making it apparent to others around him. I believe that keeping all the problem to himself and not telling anybody about it was not the right decision since that blocks any possibility of receiving emotional, psychological, or even physical assistance.

            In that same description of the problem, the narrator points out, “The deformity was mostly in his mind” (p.62). This is the case in many situations. One judges himself too harshly and starts imagining things that others do not even notice. Milkman probably did not have such a big of an issue, but by trying to find ways to cover up the small deformity, he was making it more apparent to everyone else. In my opinion, Milkman used this physical problem in order to avoid facing his family issues. As we would later know, Milkman could not distinguish the roles of his sisters and his mother toward him due to the great difference in ages between him and his sisters. This and other worse issues definitely affect Milkman and probably made him be more paranoid about how others viewed him. IN this section of the book, we can once again notice the influence that one’s family has not only on his personality, but on his mental health. In order to truly understand someone, it is crucial to know some family history to be able to relate it to the present.

  

The Importance of Family Roles

            In this section of the book, Toni Morrison describes some family relationships present among the characters. For example, it is said that Hagar and Milkman are cousins; however, Pilate says they are brothers. This is the starting point of a discussion in which they argue about the difference of a brother and a cousin. I believe that although a brother and a cousin are different at a literal level, they are very similar in real life. I completely agree with Pilate when she states, “I mean what’s the difference in the way you act toward ‘em? Don’t you have to act the same way to both?” (p. 44). Sometimes individuals even feel more attached to their cousins than to their own brothers. That all depends on personality and on each specific case. Nevertheless, we would have to look deeper into the family relationships in that case to determine whether Hagar and Milkman could be considered brothers. There are people who are offended when they are not given the appropriate title. For example, when they are called someone’s brother when they are really cousins. However, this cannot be stereotyped because each family is different and their relationships are distinct.

            “Milkman lowered his head. His father had explained nothing to him” (p. 55). I found this part very interesting since I could relate to it. Many times a parent uses a metaphor or an analogy to present his point and suggest a path to take. Some of the times, one does not understand why your father is advising you to do that, but in the end you know it is the right thing to do and you still do it. This is exactly what Milkman is experiencing with his father. Although he is upset with his father for contradicting him, he decides to follow his orders. It is important to always trust your family in every case.

 

A Harsh Environment

            As the book goes on, the narrator introduces us into a much more specific context in the book. No longer are we being presented with the society as a whole, but with the individual case of Mrs. Bains, which probably is an example to author wants to portray to exemplify the hardships many African Americans were experiencing. I found it very impressive to see the inhumanity and the cold blood with which Mr. Dead is forcing Mrs. Bains to pay the rent. This can be seen when Mr. Dead states, “Can they make it in the street, Mrs. Bains? That’s where they gonna be if you don’t figure out some way to get me my money” (p. 21). He does not even try to come up with an agreement or a solution to the problem; moreover, Mr. Dead presents a selfish and egocentric personality. However, we cannot forget that those times in the United States were not the most abundant in wealth of all. Many people were experiencing troubles with their finances and had to get money in any way they could. This could have been the case of Mr. Dead.

            This section of the book highlights the financial difficulties of African Americans at the time. For example, this is demonstrated when Mrs. Bains states, “A nigger in business is a terrible thing to see. A terrible, terrible thing to see” (p. 22). When doing business, sometimes people forget their ethical values and only focus on acquiring the greatest amount of wealth possible. In addition, this type of thinking happens much more often when people are seeking any wealth available in order to survive. There is no loyalty in business since in the end, an individual knows he is working only for himself and he knows that in hardships, it is his wealth that will sustain him, not the wealth of another individual.

 

An Interesting Beginning

            Toni Morrison begins her book Song of Solomon in a very peculiar way. This is because most of the other books we have read so far begin in medias res, or right in the action. On the contrary, this work begins with an exposition, which illustrates the community and society of that particular section of the United States. I found it very interesting to observe the way Morrison starts to criticize that society right from the beginning. This can be seen when the narrator states, “At that time of day, during the middle of the week, word-of-mouth news just lumbered along. Children were in school; men were at work; and most of the women were fastening their corsets and getting ready to go see what tails or entrails the butcher might be giving away” (p. 3-4). This society gives the impression of being very monotonous and having no dynamic. The narrator presents this in a neutral tone, which can reflect certain discontent for this society which does not go out of its routine very often.

            Although the book has not yet explicitly made it clear, one of the major topics in the work is going to be racism and segregation. This can be depicted when the narrator states, “Town maps registered the street as Mains Avenue, but the only colored doctor in the city had lived and died on that street…” (p. 4). In this section of the book, the narrator alludes to the few educational and employment opportunities African American had in that time period and how surprising it was that even one African American made it to be a doctor. He even brings this to the extent of creating a street named in commemoration of this doctor. This is critical since it gives us a sense of how Morrison will deal with this topic and how will she give her insight on the theme through the exposition not only of the characters, but of the setting.