Flight in Toni Morissons Song of Solomon Essay -- Song Solomon essays

Flight in Toni Morissons Song of SolomonI do not have the fondest memories of moving to this area. Of everyone in my family, I was the only one who did not destiny to move. I had no choice, however, so I had to live with it. Seeing how depressed I was, my parents decided to do something special for my birthday. Ever since I was little I had always dreamed of fleeing, so when we were in Crawford looking for property, my parents arranged for someone to take me up. The day was cold, cloudy and dreary, but the realization that I was actually expiry to fly made up for it. Flight has always infatuated me. Maybe it is the weightlessness of birds that does it, but flight has always been more than just a guinea pig of transportation to me. It was a gift I did not have. For this reason, I was able to connect with the novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. In the novel Song of Solomon, the melodic theme of flying is developed by a dynamic song for which the book is named. The Song of Solo mon helps develop the theme of flying by introducing it in the fountain scene, by showing what flight means to the main character Milkman, as well as, through its constant changing, showing the true importee of the novel.The activity in the opening scene can be rather confusing, however, there is one action that ties it all together. One character, which will eventually be known as Pilate, begins sing as soon as she sees Mr. Smith, an insurance agent, preparing himself to fly, or commit suicide. The fact that she is singing really has no effect, but the song she sings does. She begins singing, O Sugarman done fly away/ Sugarman done gone/ Sugarman cut across the sky/ Sugar man gone home.... (p 6) This song describes Mr. Smith, who is wearing blue silk wi... ...ansportation, or a knead of recreation. It was a way to get away from your insecurities, the pressures of life. It was being able to have your own life in your hands. As Milkman faces death by someone elses hands, he uses that gift. By taking his own life he shows that flying is what keeps us free of chains, burdens and social pressures, and lets us choose what is right for us.Music is a wonderful evaluate to the arts, and in the case of Toni Morrisons novel Song of Solomon, it is what ties the theme of flight together. Whether it is allowing the introduction of the theme, showing the feelings of a character or leading the reader to find the meaning of the novel, it is indisputable that the Song of Solomon, a song of flight, ties the theme and essentially the novel together.Works CitedMorisson, Toni. Song of Solomon. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. 1977.