Using the elements about the Hero's Journey that we discussed in class, select 1 character and discuss how the separation elements are developed in Chapters 1-3 in Song of Solomon. Consider also the elements of the miracle births and birth marks/deformities that set characters up to mythological heroes in a modern world. 200 words.
25 Comments
Raegan C.
4/5/2014 04:42:46 am
Call to Adventure: In chapter 2, Guitar and Milkman go to visit Pilate for the first time. This action takes Milkman away from everything he has known, and away from what he considers “normal” (his oppressive life at home with his family in which he is forbidden from Pilate). Pilate serves as the herald, telling a series of stories that create a surreal, abstract environment in direct contrast to Milkman’s realistic, concrete world created by his father and only briefly interrupted previously by Guitar.
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Cj W
4/8/2014 05:15:40 am
Call To Adventure: One major example of Milkman’s ‘Call to Adventure’ was when he rebelled against his father’s strict demand to never interact with Pilate, his father’s own sister, under any circumstances. However, not long after Milkman is given this order, he deliberately disobeys it and goes to go visit Pilate with his friend Guitar for the first time. After talking to Pilate for only a few hours, he comes to the realization that Pilate is nowhere near all the insults and rude things that Milkman’s father characterized her to be. In fact, Milkman gains a better liking towards Pilate than his own father almost immediately.
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Trey C.
4/9/2014 07:39:12 pm
Call to Adventure
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Conner Brown
4/9/2014 11:11:46 pm
In the first three chapters of Song of Solomon Milkman experiences some of the initial phases in the hero's journey. These include: Meeting The Mentor, Crossing the First Threshold, Call to Adventure, and Refusal of the Call.
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Georgie P
4/10/2014 06:24:52 pm
Milkman’s life initially bores him and he has no idea how to act. When his Father finds out from Freddie that Milkman and Guitar were seen at Pilate’s wine house, he reacts with anger and tells Milkman some information based on his family history. He then advises Milkman to own things in order to get far in life, calling him to his adventure.
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Bethany Balentine
4/10/2014 08:04:42 pm
Call To Adventure:
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Beau
4/12/2014 07:01:04 am
In the beginning of the novel of 'Song of Solomon', Milkman experiences some of the initial phases in the hero's journey. These include: Meeting The Mentor, Crossing the First Threshold, Call to Adventure, and Refusal of the Call.
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Ryan M
4/16/2014 09:34:02 pm
Call To Adventure:
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Daniel. C
4/27/2014 03:16:57 am
Call to Adventure: One example of Milkman’s “Call to Adventure” is when he goes against his dads orders to go visit Pilate. When Milkman’s dad finds out that his son was hanging out with Pilate he becomes furious and begins to lecture him and tell him things he needs to know in order to get somewhere in life. Milkman goes to work for his dad and begins somewhat of a “journey” for him.
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Gabrielle L
4/27/2014 06:31:37 am
Although these may not go in the exact order of Campbellian’s Analysis of the Hero’s Journey, in the first three chapters of Song of Solomon, Milkman starts on his journey to become alive as opposed to “Dead”: he has been called to adventure, has refused this call, has gained a mentor, and has crossed the first threshold.
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stephen
4/27/2014 07:56:26 am
THE ORDINARY WORLD: Milkman is introduced as a shy boy, lives in a world dominated by his father, Macon. Macon tries to keep everything he possesses, including his family, on a tight leash. Milkman knows little family history, and is unaware as to how he got the ridiculous nickname he has.
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Angela B.
4/27/2014 11:18:53 pm
One of the first displays of Milkman’s personal identity takes place when he sees Macon hit his mother, which can be counted as call for an adventure in that context. This brings up a rebellious behavior, making him rise against his father and hit him. After that incident, Macon sits down with Milkman and tells him about history of himself and Milkman’s mother, including suspicions and unusual incidents involving Milkman’s mother and grandfather.
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rachel
4/28/2014 07:26:27 am
The character, Milkman in the Song of Solomon takes several steps in relation to the Hero's Journey in chapters 1-3. Although Milkman, like most other characters who embark on the Hero's Journey initially refuse their calling, from the very beginning of the novel the reader can see that Milkman has a sense of adventure inside of him. When he was still a little boy, free of any authority and responsibility he would "wonder again and again why he had to stay level on the ground," (Morrison 4) when all he really wanted to do was fly. Once Milkman realizes the reality of being a human, unable to fly he seems to loose his sense of adventure and interest in the world. The first time the reader sees Milkman step out of his passive role in his own life is when he challenged his father, "yanked him by the back of his coat collar, up out of his chair, and knocked him into the radiator," (67) to defend his mother. This challenging of his father led to the hero's call to adventure, which in this novel is Macon opening up to Milkman for the first time about the Dead family history and drama. Throughout these opening chapters Milkman also fits into the Hero archetype by refusing the call, by refusing to form an opinion about the actions that his mom has been accused of. Milkman is troubled by what he has heard and actually feels as if he has just been caught in the crossfire between his mom and dad's conflict. Milkman shows signs of coming out of his passive state of life here and there by actually putting thought towards his life. He does not take action in his life immediately but atleast he has started to put some thought into a better life; one where he is not just alive to work for his dad. While Milkman slowly comes around to eventually becoming active in his life, other characters are developed along the way to aid his journey. For example Pilate, the woman with unexplained mystical powers, and Guitar his closest friend act as mentors, influencing Guitar to put thought towards his life.
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Buse D.
4/29/2014 04:59:44 am
Call to Adventure:
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Sarah
4/29/2014 05:48:31 pm
In Morrison’s Song of Solomon, she writes about Milkman and his embarkation on his Hero’s Journey. In the first phase of his journey, the separation phase, Milkman first encounters his “Call to Adventure”. This occurred when Milkman, accompanied by Guitar decide to deliberately disobey Milkman’s father’s instructions and go and pay Pilate, his father’s sister a visit. Macon Dead banned Milkman from seeing her because he felt that she was “odd, murky, and worst of all, unkempt” (Morrison 20). Through his encounter and meeting of Pilate he comes to the realization that all of the unkind things his father said about her were merely untrue leaving him a sense of distaste for his father. Soon after, Milkman experiences the Refusal to call/ Meeting the Mentor stage of his ‘journey’. Following his visit to Pilate, he felt a bit guilty for what he had done and confessed to his father. Although Macon’s reaction to the news is very unpleasant, Milkman “overcomes his reluctance” and continues to visit Pilate. Lastly while experiencing Crossing the First Threshold, Milkman gains a sense of adventure and opportunity. In terms of the book, Milkman attained courage to confront his father about his violence toward Pilate at dinner. Along with it, he hit Macon. Macon was ultimately proud of his son for having the courage to take physical action but was not impressed with the feelings it brought him [Macon]. Milkman leaves his home after this realizing that he did not hit his father for his mother’s sake. He did not do it for the safety of his mother, but for his own selfish reasons. He wanted to prove his manhood to his father, which he did but Milkman continued these selfish acts with Guitar as well. Milkman came to the realization that he was egotistical and was content with living with himself as he was.
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Tasha
4/30/2014 07:37:07 pm
Call to Adventure: This element is mainly displayed in Chapter 2 when Milkman goes against his father and goes to Pilate’s house which has been forbidden. This action introduces him to a world different from the bubble of the Macon household as he begins to grow closer to the Pilate household.
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Darel M
5/1/2014 07:45:23 pm
Call to Adventure: Milkman goes against his father’s demands and interacts with Pilate. After Milkman is given this order, he disobeys it and goes to see Pilate along with Guitar.Milkman then realizes that his father lied about the things he said about Pilate and figures out who she really is.
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Alyssa
5/1/2014 07:46:51 pm
Song of Solomon follows Milkman, the story’s protagonist, on a quest of personal realization and fulfillment mirroring The Hero’s Journey. His story begins with his initial Call to Adventure, as he visits his Aunt Pilate for the first time. Not only does this interaction go directly against his strict father’s wishes, but Milkman experiences for the first time a family on the opposite end of the spectrum as his own. Unlike the Dead household, wherein Macon controls his family so harshly that he has squandered his wife and children’s self-worth and ambition, Pilate is a poor and seemingly magical woman. Contrary to her brother Macon, Pilate is loving and free spirited, presenting a seemingly magical and enticing aura, and living in her tiny home with her daughter and granddaughter. After his encounter with Pilate, Milkman returns home and tells his father. Macon instantly reprimands him and tells Milkman that his sister is a “snake”. The event sparks Macon to take an interest in Milkman for the first time in his life, attempting to teach him about business and wealth and share his materialistic values. Soon though Milkman goes through a Refusal to the Call, when he disobeys his father by continuing to visit Pilate, and in revealing his lack of interest in the family business through disregard and embracing a frivolous, hedonistic lifestyle. Soon though, Pilate becomes more significant in Milkman’s life, specifically as his spiritual Mentor. Her lack of navel and outsider status already present her as a supernatural being. She opens Milkman’s eyes to a world of love within family and selflessness, inspiring and challenging him to stand up for himself. Subsequently, Milkman crosses the first threshold in his long journey when he hits Macon after he watches him hit his mother. It is the first time anyone in the family has defied Macon and marks the beginning of Milkman’s quest of discovery about himself and his family history.
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Julia
5/3/2014 03:36:26 am
In the first three chapters of 'Song of Solomon', Milkman experiences multiple initial phases in a hero's journey which include: Call to Adventure, Refusal of the Call, Meeting the Mentor, and Crossing the First Threshold.
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Yahaira S.
5/3/2014 06:33:35 am
Call to Adventure: Milkman and Guitar visit Pilate for the first time in the second chapter of the novel. After some small talk with Pilate, her daughters come home and Milkman instantly falls in love with Hagar. As Pilate reminisces about her childhood, Milkman learns more about his family's history and becomes more interested in it, thus leading into his call to adventure. Milkman wants to know more about his family, although his father prohibits him from talking to Pilate, who could provide answers to his questions.
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Angelique K.
5/4/2014 11:55:58 pm
Milkman the son of Macon and Ruth Dead experiences his first main call to adventure when he visits his father’s sister Pilate for the very first time with Guitar. Macon absolutely did not want Milkman to visit Pilate because he was afraid that Milkman might find out things about the Dead family and their past that would affect how Milkman viewed him. The refusal of the call for Milkman occurs when Macon, tells Milkman the importance of being materialistic, “own things, and let the things you own, own other things, then you’ll own yourself and other people too” Macon is a very materialistic man he wants his son to follow in his footsteps, by working in the store and seeing the importance of possessions (Morrison 55). Milkman quickly realizes that he does not want to be anything like his father and therefore, refuses to do and act as Macon wants him to. Guitar and Pilate can both be seen as Milkman’s mentors. In situations that involve discovering the families past Pilate serves as his mentor, and in situations that deal with personal problems Guitar serves as Milkman’s mentor. Pilate wants Milkman to learn about the Dead family past, but she is also interested in his future and she wants to make sure that he is successful. Guitar in a way is Milkman’s big brother; he gives advice on things such as, marriage and starting a family. Crossing the first threshold occurs for Milkman when he rebels against his father for the first time, “particularly after the final time, which became final because his son jumped up and knocked him back into the radiator” this seemed to come out of the blue, because usually Milkman was laid back and he let things come over him, however this time his father went to far and Milkman was determined to protect his mother (Morrison 64). Shortly after, Macon tells Milkman several things about his mother; it is hard for him to determine what is and isn’t true. At the moment Milkman has had enough and he decides that he needs a break from his family, he does this by going into the outside world in hopes of discovering what exists decides the Dead house.
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Hope
5/5/2014 12:45:46 am
Call to Adventure:
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Molly R
5/5/2014 01:13:18 am
In Toni Morrison's novel "Song of Solomon", she presents an overarching theme of mythology by using the Hero's Journey to develop her characters, most notably in the first chapters with the use of the call to adventure, meeting the mentor, and crossing the first threshold. The call to adventure is exemplified with Milkman's friendship with Guitar and later his continued presence at Pilate's house. This defiance towards his father shows his refusal of his father's business path and the acceptance of a future with Pilate and Guitar. Within Milkman's deference of the privileged life his father would've provided, he choses to become close with the other Dead sibling: Pilate. Pilate acts as the mentor. According to the Campbellian myth, this mentor is known to have some supernatural characteristics; in Pilate's case it's the fact that she crawled out of her dead mother without a navel. Pilate starts to "mentor" Milkman by telling him more about his past and his father's past. The first threshold that Milkman's passes is when he hits his father. Before this point, Milkman had never opposed his fathers views physically, but after seeing Macon hit Ruth, he realized the disfunction his house contained. This prominent act of defiance marks the time in which Milkman starts to wonder about his family and family history.
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Jurrien A.
5/22/2014 10:12:20 pm
Call to Adventure: Milkman's journey begins with him standing up to his father by disobeying him and visiting Pilate's shack. This experience opens his eyes to a new experience and further puts him down his quest in his desire to learn more about his family history.
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Maurie
6/2/2014 05:48:17 am
Call to Adventure:
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