The Myth in Song of Solomon

Throughout our class discussions of Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, we have often returned to the idea that Milkman's story has a mythic quality to it. Milkman is the first colored baby born in the hospital, and his survival against his father's wishes seems miraculous. There's also the dramatic suicide of Mr. Smith, which sets Milkman's birthday in the minds of the townsfolk for many years to come.

As the book progresses, these mythic themes only grow more prominent. Once Milkman finally leaves home, the narration takes on a more epic tone. He faces numerous hazards, is forced to confront strange people like the somehow-living Circe, and undergoes significant personal development as he struggles to uncover his family history. The narrative style here is worth further study, and it is exemplified by the novel's ending.

"Without wiping away the tears, taking a deep breath, or even bending his knees--he leaped. As fleet and bright as a lodestar he wheeled toward Guitar and it did not matter which one of them would give up his ghost in the killing arms of his brother. For now he knew what Shalimar knew: If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it."

This section is cinematic in its depiction of the final showdown between Guitar and Milkman, and it's clear that the confrontation will become a legend regardless of the winner, a new story about the Dead family and Solomon's Leap. It also ties Milkman in more firmly with his ancestors and brings his story full circle. He is finally able to fulfill his lifelong dream of flight, and his leap relates back to Mr. Smith's suicide at his birth, giving a finality to an otherwise highly ambiguous ending. In jumping, he is becoming a legend and thus fulfilling his family's legacy, coming of age at last.

I believe that the mythic quality of this novel is what completes Milkman's story, allowing him to be happy by the conclusion. If this were told just like any other story, his actions would appear mundane and boring, just like the rest of his life. There would be no reward, nothing to give closure. However, because the story is treated as a myth, his tale is given the same qualities as that of his ancestors. That is what makes his quest a success and makes the book complete as a result.