Yuck

First off, that incest scene was nasty. Besides Ruth lying with her dad "naked as a yard dog, kissing him," the part that really got to me was Macon's description of the dad as a "white rat" (73). The image grossed me out. Which is probably good because if it did not then something is wrong with me. Nightmares are coming. What is Milkman supposed to do? His dad's story just completely messed him up and now he is having flashbacks of himself breastfeeding.

Till has it worse though.

Milkman is growing up and it seems like he is on teams. He is on a team by himself against his family and he is on the team blacks that is fighting against the discrimination of whites. He is caught in the middle of the civil war within his family. His dad hates his mom and his sisters are just there. They make rose petals and glare at him when he knocks down Macon but they do not really seem to do anything. The story about Till puts Milkman against more opposition besides his family, whites. A white man can do anything to a black man without consequence because there "ain't no law for no colored man except the one sends him to the chair" (82). So far I am seeing Milkman against the world. At least he is together with the other black men fighting racism, but still it seems like the odds are against them winning.

Flight seems like an important theme. When Hagar says that "some of [her] days were hungry ones," Pilate realizes "she don't mean food" (48-49). Pilate then sings the same song she sang when Robert Smith tried to fly away. I was confused when I read this part, but here is my interpretation: I think Hagar wants to "fly" away from something. Maybe poverty or maybe oppression, I am not sure. Pilate's recollection of her mother's "blue...ribbons" that she wore before she "died" also reminded me of flight (42-43). Robert Smith was wearing blue wings when he tried to fly away. I think blue could represent flight or death or both. Flying could be a way to freedom, and so could death.

My point is this. The Newsday writer who said, "[Morrison's] writing evokes the joyful richness of life" must not have read the book about which he or she was talking (back of the book).