Song of Solomon (Toni Morrison)

The son of an abusive father and an obsessive mother, Milkman lacks the capacity to empathize with others or to define his own identity. Milkman maintains "you can't do the past over" (Morrison 78). Despite this initial belief, it is only when Milkman goes South and revisits his past that he discovers the understanding and forgiveness that are necessary to set him free. By coming to terms with his troubled past, Milkman learns to become his own person, forgiving his parents and learning to love himself and others.

Milkman is the product of two conflicting parents, Macon and Ruth. Oppressed by her husband, Ruth sees Milkman as a means of having power over her abusive spouse. We are told Ruth purposefully became pregnant with Milkman "to hold them together," and his birth is viewed by his mother as her one "aggressive act brought to royal completion," (Morrison 131; 133). Macon's father is so abusive that Milkman threatens to kill him when he beats Ruth. However, Milkman knows because of their long, tortured

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