In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, flying appears as a symbol of freedom, particularly in the African legend of Solomon, who freed his son Jake to fall into American slavery as he flew to freedom. Even though the story takes place in the post-slavery era, virtually none of the characters are able to free themselves and take flight. The pursuit of the ideals of hope developed during the civil rights movement almost seems to hold back black characters as much as slavery. They pine incessantly for revenge, personal growth, wealth, education, and love. As characters begin to acquire wealth and power, some turn into greedy machines, living only to turn their labor into money and property. They gain freedom from slavery and, beyond that, they also gain what has always burdened the wealthy population: money. While the American dream translates into the search for a happy family, a home and a good job; many of the black characters pursue a slightly different “African American dream” that involves freedom and power. Many are so absorbed in their wealth that they push away family, friends and lovers. Although money seemingly offers freedom in American culture, Morrison reveals the negative effects of the African-American dream through Macon Jr., who shows how material possessions quickly become burdensome when he begins to value wealth more than his family or his people; as different as Guitar seems, he too succumbs to this obsession and forgets his core values. Milkman, however, initially experiments with his father's path, but ultimately realizes that true liberation can only be achieved by rejecting materialism in favor of freedom and following in Pilate's footsteps. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although Macon Dead Jr. is one of the richest blacks in his city, he is dominated by his quest to gain more wealth, regularly rejecting basic morals and losing sight of the value of relationships and human life. As a teenager, Macon kills an old man out of fear, but quickly forgets his crime when he discovers that the man was hiding three bags of gold, dreaming "Life, security and luxury fanned out before him like the expanses of a peacock." ” (170). This vision of a possible future overwhelms him, forcing him to completely ignore the fact that he has just massacred a stranger. This culture of materialism in America often blinds people to anything but money, including the loss of a human life. Pilate tries to convince him to leave the gold behind him by warning him against stealing, however, Macon simply replies: “This is not money; it will keep him for life, Pilate. other farm” (171). Although Macon is so young in this scene, he is already captivated by the allure of gold, regardless of possible consequences, such as guilt or arrest. He believes that gold can hold him “for life ", even though he could spend that life in prison. The two physically fight over this decision, resulting in the dismantling of their relationship as brothers. When Macon Jr. later finds out that Milkman has been visiting Pilate, he tells him, “Pilate doesn't can teach you anything that you can use in this world[...]Owning things. And let the things you own possess other things. Then possess yourself and other people too (55). Macon's first advice to his only son, Milkman, concerns money and possessions. He sums up his materialism in these few sentences, announcing his distorted beliefaccording to which only the “things you have” can be of any use in life. Macon Jr. also tries to manipulate his teenage son into stealing from the family and solve one of his childhood adversities by stealing the gold. Macon also often decides that money is worth more than human lives in the workplace. When an elderly woman asks for an extension on her rent so she can feed her children, Macon responds, "Can they make it out on the street, Mrs. Bains? That's where they'll end up if you don't find a way to get my money" (21). Although Macon does not need the four dollars and will derive no benefit from putting Mrs. Bains and her family out of the house, his vision of greater wealth makes him callous and selfish. causing him to become emotionally "dead" in regards to his relationships with his family, his friends and his community. Like Macon Jr., Guitar becomes obsessed with the idea of ​​more gold and, to carry out his intentions, becomes violent, distrustful and amoral. Guitar has illusions about what his life might be like after he and Milkman steal the bags of gold: "The one he'd buy for his grandmother and his brother, Uncle Billy [...] the tombstone he'd buy for the his father's tomb, 'rose with lilies carved on it'; then stuff for his brother and sisters, and for his sisters' children” (179). Guitar has just begun to formulate a plan to steal the gold and is already ecstatic about what he could afford with it. Like Macon, he becomes blind to the crime he is committing to acquire the gold. He also violates human values ​​when he tells Milkman to rob his aunt, even admitting how crazy he is becoming: “You can't get a pot of gold that's reasonable. No one can get gold by being reasonable. You must be unreasonable” (183). Recognizing that no "reasonable" person can become rich, Guitar justifies the way he acts regarding the gold and rejects his basic morality just as Macon Jr. did with the same bags of gold. The apparent association between wealth and power corrupts his thoughts and actions. Later, Guitar tries to kill Milkman by wrapping a wire around his neck while he rests. When Milkman confronts Guitar and asks him why he did it, Guitar simply replies, "You took the gold [...] I saw you, you son of a bitch" (295). Guitar has become so paranoid about the gold that he believes his best friend stole from him and his cause, and now he lies about it. Their long-standing friendship lost all value to Guitar after his visions of a richer, more meaningful life transformed him. After stalking Milkman and seeing him help an old man lift a chest, Guitar cannot believe that Milkman would help someone out of the kindness of his heart and becomes convinced that the chest is full of stolen gold. Guitar's visions of a better life derail his rationality and destroy his relationships, forcing him to attempt to kill Milkman because Guitar believes Milkman is preventing him from accumulating money. Towards the beginning of the novel, Milkman emulates his father's selfish character, however, he ultimately realizes that liberation is not the result of excessive wealth but of freeing himself from material desire. When Guitar begins to talk about racial issues in America, Milkman thinks to himself, “His life was pointless, without purpose, and it was true that he didn't care much about other people. There was nothing he wanted so ardently that he would risk anything, even to cause himself inconvenience” (107). Although Milkman is black and racial issues should be relevant to him, all he can think about is himself and how he can live the simplest life possible. After his father tells him he needs toowns things and gives him a job in his rent-collecting office, fourteen-year-old Milkman believes, "Life improved tremendously for Milkman after he started working for Macon" (56). He believes his father's advice and begins to begin his journey towards owning things. Milkman thinks that living like his father is much more beneficial than living like Pilate, so he continues to work at a boring job to make money. However, when Milkman is slightly older and plans to steal the gold with Guitar, he finds himself thinking of a different kind of gratification: "Since his life was not unpleasant and also had a certain amount of luxury in addition to conveniences, he felt out of place." center. He just wanted to distance himself from his parents' past, which is also their present and threatened to become his present too” (180). Milkman begins to drift away from the hypnotic nature of the gold that his family and Guitar have fallen in love with, realizing he has enough indulgence in his life and instead seeks liberation from a life like his parents': unpleasant, mediocre, and insatiable. He realizes that ownership is not the key to power and that the Dream blinds people to what is truly important. Milkman finally understands that liberation from a boring but rich life like his father's can come by freeing himself from materialism. As one of the few characters not limited by materialism, Pilate escapes many of the difficulties others face by deciding to free himself from it. desire and desire. Her salvation comes when she decides to start her life over and faces “the problem of trying to decide how she wanted to live and what was valuable to her” (149). Pilate begins to free herself when she decides to change her lifestyle; she goes from allowing herself to be grounded by the isolation she faces due to her lack of a belly button to rethinking what truly matters in her life. It creates a goal much bigger than Macon and Guitar's hoarding desires: gratification. Then he asks himself “What do I need to stay alive? What is true in the world?” and renounces «all interest in good table manners and hygiene, but acquires a profound concern for and regarding human relationships (149). Starting full circle, Pilate realizes that to be free she must have a “deep concern for and about human relationships” and care about others, rather than just herself and money. Pilate does not allow himself to be trapped by the seductive visions of freedom and property and avoids the suffering that many characters face due to their materialism. Pilate also chooses winemaking to earn a living because “it allowed her more freedom hour after hour and day after day than any other job a woman without means and without any inclination to love money could choose” (150). Although his work is not at all extraordinary, Pilate manages to earn enough money to survive and maintain his dignity. This job also allows her to have freedom in her schedule and purchase what she needs, not what she wants on a whim. When Milkman first meets her, he notes that, “although she looked as poor as everyone said she was, there was something missing in her eyes that should have confirmed it. Nor was it dirty; scruffy yes, but not dirty” (39). For Milkman, the “something” that was missing is probably a look of unhappiness that he associates with poverty. Although other characters assume that Pilate is struggling and wasting his time making wine, she is the opposite: she never becomes rich through her work, but is much happier and freer due to her lack of burdensome riches. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a personalized document now.