Who Is Milkman's Struggle For Freedom In Song Of Solomon

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For many Americans, family history can be as difficult and thorny as it is heartwarming. While a strong connection to one’s forefathers typically has a positive connotation, ancestral trauma can be deeply scary, and nowhere is this more clearly seen than in the continued struggle against the legacy of slavery. In the novel Song of Solomon, Morrison uses the symbols of shoes and feet to illustrate Black people’s struggle against generational trauma and the ways they find freedom in 1950s America. Shoes symbolize a connection to earth and ancestors, demonstrating Black people’s inability to escape the trauma of past generations. After Macon Dead I is killed, he sometimes appears to Pilate as a ghost. During these visits, he at first wears “the heavy shoes he was shot in” but after …show more content…
Although Milkman strives to be different from his father, he “[can’t] help sharing with Macon his love of good shoes and fine, thin socks” (Morrison 63). The language of this quote suggests Milkman’s strong aversion to having something in common with Macon Dead II, yet despite avoiding this in all other walks of life, he cannot escape his love of shoes. Macon Dead II, unlike Pilate, was not able to free himself from the legacy of trauma left by Macon Dead I, and continued to cling to shoes all his life. As a result, Milkman is also trapped by shoes and prevented from escaping his family or forming an individual identity. Yet Milkman’s desperate wish to be free of his penchant for shoes and socks reveals his eagerness to free himself from the trauma passed down from his father and grandfather. This passage gives the reader insight into Milkman’s motivation for leaving in search of his family in the south and marks the beginning of Milkman’s journey to find his roots, a journey that will eventually alleviate his conflicting emotions about feet and the
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