Hi, my name is Jacob and this is my blog! :)
I've heard this a few times from people, seen it quoted a few times, but don't know where it originates: "I see dead things."
And while I know for a fact that this isn't from Song of Solomon, it very well could be. Death comes up numerous times throughout the novel, both actually and figuratively.
First off, the novel centers around Milkman, and his family...the Dead family. And besides the name, there's a lot of dead things circling around them. For one, their car for Sunday drives is known to the locals as the hearse, as it is treated delicately, never used for fun, and never goes over 20 mph. Not only does the car act like a hearse, it or its drivers, never "live a little" by taking risks or having fun with it. Heck, I drive a Prius and I'm able to have more fun than they do with their kick-ass, full gasoline, car. Just saying...
The Dead family is also pretty boring...we talked in class about the differences in the atmosphere between Milkman's and Pilate's homes. The Dead house is strict, and uptight, while Pilate's family is relatively easy-going and lax, listening to music and working together. Meanwhile, the Deads' relationships are strained, with family members lashing out at each other from time to time (Milkman to Macon, Macon to Ruth, ...) Needless to say, Pilate's family seems to be getting more out of, and having a better life, than the Deads.
And besides metaphorically dead families, there are dead people in the novel! Early on we hear the stories of Robert Smith, who failed trying to fly off a building, and see a drunk Henry Porter threatening to kill himself before passing out. Later on, we hear the story of how Macon Jr. killed the man in the cave, the discovery of the gold, and then goes on to try and find his grandfather's bones, which washed into a cave as well. Milkman's life is also threatened, and almost taken, by both Hagar and Guitar who threaten to kill him. Guitar also is part of the Seven Days, an organization which vows to avenge the unpunished murders of blacks by killing whites in the same manner on the same day
So yeah, death is a constant presence, and an important one at that, throughout Song of Solomon.
P.S. Death itself is an escape, or flight from life. And as we've talked about, flight is another important theme in the novel (Smith's failed flight, flying hood ornament, Milkman wanting to fly, Milkman taking the plane, Milkman flying away from the nest, etc.). But that could be the idea behind another blog post. I digress.
See you all later...thanks for reading!
Jacob
