Three People Stuck in their Pasts

So far in ‘Song of Solomon’ Milkman, Ruth, and Macon have been very stagnant and stuck in their pasts. Despite the book moving through time periods so quickly these characters are never seen truly looking forward instead of back. 

First we have Ruth (Foster) Dead who is ‘starved for love’ as Pilate puts it. In the beginning of her life she sticks uncomfortably close to her father, feeling like an outcast to the rest of the children due to her social status. She then craves that same love and adoration from her husband and son which she is denied. Throughout the portion of the novel we have read so far Ruth has been craving a feeling of love, comfort, and belonging. That same feeling her father had given to her in her past but she hasn’t been able to find it again since her father had passed. Ruth has stayed stuck in the past chasing and craving something that is and has been gone for a long time.

Then we have Macon Dead II. From a young age Macon had been driven by money. When he found the gold of a dead man he was eager to take it. But his sister Pilate opposed causing them to split up and ages 17( Macon) and 12 (Pilate). When they separated Macon was convinced that Pilate ended up stealing the gold that they had found; Because of this he held a grudge against Pilate for 50 years. We also find out that one of the issues between Macon and Ruth is over the fact that she wouldn’t help him get some money from Dr. Foster (Ruth's dad) this causes tension and resentment in their marriage. Macon’s inability to push his love of money aside to save seemingly important relationships (sister and wife)  shows that he truly is driven by money. 50 years later Macon still holds a grudge against Pilate because he thinks that she stole ‘his’ gold. Macon holding contempt against his only known living relative because of something that happened 50 years ago not only shows his unconditional love for money but it shows that he –similar to Ruth, is stuck in the past chasing something that is long gone. 

Finally we have Milkman a.k.a Macon Dead III. Milkman has been stuck in a childlike carefree state through the entire novel (so far). His main concerns being where the next party is and how he can satisfy himself in the present moment. Even in his thirties he stays stuck in the past trying to hang on to his childhood instead of growing up. Still working for his father, doing everything he is told, living with his parents, and partying. When Guitar ( Milkman's best friend) tries to tell him to grow up he only seems to get angry that he is being held to the expectation of growing up. All of these things are keeping Milkman stuck in the past. In addition to that Milkman has also found himself stuck between his parents marital issues. Being pulled back and forth between his mother’s and father’s narratives about what happened in the past. This back and forth is also keeping Milkman from being able to grow up because his parents are making their past issues his present issues; and because he has yet to stand up for himself like an adult he allows himself to be a pawn in their games. As we finish this novel I think the main question we have to ask ourselves is if Milkman, Macon, and Ruth will be able to look away from their pasts and focus on their present.

Comments

  1. Khadeejah R.December 7, 2022 at 1:25 PM

    Great post! You are completely right when you say the main characters of the novel are stuck in the past. At the beginning of the book, when Milkman is sitting in between his parents he is stuck looking back at what they have already passed. He continues to only took behind him throughout the entire book. The characters are constantly bringing up the past, and while it provides good context for the reader, it shows how stuck Milkman and his family are.

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  2. TaehanDecember 11, 2022 at 10:07 PM

    This is a really astute observation. There are a lot of different threads and stories that are happening in the book, and I think breaking it down into these themes will be helpful as we near the end of the book. Another thing I noticed was that Guitar's involvement in the Seven Days is kind of looking into the future because he is trying to make change. This seems to be contrasted with Milkman, as you said.

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  3. Mikayla BlankeDecember 13, 2022 at 2:05 PM

    I also agree- the past seems to be a major theme in "Song of Solomon"! Another person that is stuck in their past is Pilate. We see this in multiple ways: she keeps her name in an earring, she has the green tarp with bones, etc. In some ways, I think this theme is very important to explain how and why different characters act how they do. However, I'm also kind of tired of them being the same every. single. time. I think we see Milkman start to develop a bit more in Part 2, and I hope that happens for some of the other characters as well!

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  4. Kelby SvendsenDecember 14, 2022 at 8:17 PM

    Yeah, I really agree with all three points you are making here about people who continue to cling to the past and who can't move on. Your second paragraph about Macon II was one I really agreed with because I believe he has the greatest and most obvious obsession with the past and this mythical quest for gold that is "rightfully his". Macon II's romanticization of his childhood makes his desire for the gold even stronger. On top of this, one important thing to realize about the absurdity of Macon II clinging to the myths of past is that he doesn't even have real proof of this gold existing. He is so entranced by his past that he allows himself to get lost in the myth of the gold and chase after it on a whim. This really shows just how possessed by the past Macon II is and his refusal to live in the present.

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  5. MitchellDecember 20, 2022 at 8:34 AM

    Pilate is an interesting exception to this general picture: she somehow manages to "carry around" her past with her as literal *baggage* (the sack of bones), which to her entails taking responsibility for what one has done (when she assumes the bones are those of the white man Macon killed). We talked about her as a more "free" character than any of Macon's immediate family, and maybe because she takes this responsibility in the form of the green sack, she is not as haunted or burdened by the past as the other Dead characters. And at the end we see a beautiful culmination of her lifetime of carrying this past around with her, as she returns her father's bones to Solomon's Leap, bringing the family story full-circle.

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  6. Yan LDecember 22, 2022 at 12:21 AM

    People often say "the past shapes our future." (I think I heard that somewhere) and that is certainly true in this book, all three character you mentioned were directly, and completely shaped by their past. In fact, not just shaped, but they are stuck in it, letting the past consume their future. I think Milkman's case is very interesting because unlike the others, he is not just stuck in his own past (hanging on to his childhood, being call Milkman, and etc), but also from his families' past and history. I think through this story, especially in act II, Milkman slowly learns to, instead of being trapped and trying to escape the past and his ancestry, he is now embracing it as a part of his identity.

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  7. Xenia MongwaDecember 23, 2022 at 8:34 AM

    This is a really interesting post! I also agree with you that Milkman, Macon, and Ruth have been stuck in their pasts. Because of that, I think that it has been holding back First Corinthians and Lena from progressing in their own lives, since they have to live with the decisions that their family members have been making.

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