Song of Solomon-Passage Analysis

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"Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity. Can't nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down" (pg. 179). Throughout Morrison's novel "Song of Solomon" there are many references to flight. Whether it be in the introduction with the insurance agent, Robert Smith, committing suicide by "flying" off of the roof of Mercy hospital, Solomon's flight from slavery, or even Milkman's own personal flight at the end of the novel; the idea of flight is represented in many situations. Moving through the novel it becomes obvious that Milkman has trouble finding his own identity. Milkman's journey to find his wings becomes the center point of the novel and we find many obstacles holding him down along the way including his own father, his materialistic values, his relationships with Hagar and Guitar and his own apathy. In this passage, Milkman and Guitar are discussing how they are going to steal Pilates gold and start new lives, each with their own different motives; then this white peacock appears out of nowhere sitting on a rooftop. The two chase after the peacock attempting to capture it, but fail. Milkman asks Guitar why the peacock won't just fly away, instead of running in circles and Guitar responds talking about its tail. Guitar describes to Milkman how the tail has too much "jewelry" on it and its all for show. With the heavy amounts of jewelry and vanity, the peacock is weighed down and unable to fly. Milkman becomes very curious of this aspect and observes the peacock closely, with its pure white color and large ornate tail. Throughout Milkmans life, he seems to be very intrigued by flight. Milkman was born the day after Robert Smith had committed suicide; He was the first black child to ever be born in Mercy Hospital, known as No Mercy Hospital to the native folks. However, by the age of four,
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