Wanting to fly when he was young, Milkman actually experienced a feeling of passion before in his life. Sadly, this would be the only time he would experience this feeling again. After realizing his impractical dream of flight, Milkman loses a sense of direction. Without any objective, he doesn't know what to do with his life. Even worse, he is reluctant to change; he is still stubborn when even his closest people ask him to do something. Was the realization of the impossibility of flight too much for Milkman? It's so peculiar that at such a young age he had this drastic alteration. What ultimately gets him going is his search for his heritage and his family's origin.
Macon Dead III is probably one of the most peculiar characters that I've ever seen. But we've seen this type of character before. Monsieur Meursault? Lacks passion and emotion for everything? While people might argue that Meursault's reason for apathy was unknown and unclear, at the end, he does admit that his relationship with God (involving the crucifix) wasn't very good. Unfortunately, Meursault never is able to ever attempt to step out of his comfort zone.
It will forever be a mystery on why Milkman so drastically became uninspired. As readers, like we did for Meursault, we hope for these characters to find a solution in the end.
The comparison between Meursault and Milkman is a cool idea. They do have a lot of similarities personality-wise. Although, Meursault never shifts his views on anything and remains a numb and indifferent character whereas Milkman has revelations about the problems in his life.
ReplyDeleteI think that he is so uninspired because he never had control of his life. If his dad told him to do something, he would do it. Milkman had a routine and he stuck to it making his life not very interesting. I also believe that when he flies away from his home, he starts gaining interest and passion. That is why I think that his passion is tied directly to him being at home.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Milkman is never really able to grasp what he wants to do in his life. Unfortunately, his dad died. :(
DeleteI clicked on this post because of the title
ReplyDeleteMilkman does seem a little aimless, especially given that he opts out of his long-term relationship with Hagar for good. Is his journey for Pilate's gold a legitimate character aim? Hunting for gold sounds like an incredibly childish pursuit for a thirty-something year old, though.
he do need som milk
ReplyDeleteAlbert...
DeleteThe connection between Milkman and Meursault goes even farther at the end of each book where both Milkman and Meursault get revelations that make them okay with dying. For Milkman, he leaps at a guy with a gun and for Meursault, he waits for his execution contentedly.
ReplyDeleteYou're right. Especially for Meursault, he had an outburst when the crucifix was brought up. Your last sentence is a good difference between the two.
DeleteSee my blog post for an in-depth explication of their similarities; Milkman and Meursault actually share many connections that appear in strange ways. I see both Meursault and Milkman as champions of their own races; Milkman embraces Solomon's legend and his family's cultural backstory, while Meursault sacrifices his life for the pied-noir in Camus' Algeria. Also, the ends of both novels are quite interesting to compare; depending on your interpretation of the ending of Song of Solomon, both Meursault and Milkman seem content for their impending deaths, although Milkman seems more active in pursuing it compared to Meursualt's passive waiting for execution.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've ever meant to say that they seem content. If anything, they are both deserving of a second chance because of something that happened in the past. I don't know where you got that from... But yeah, your blogpost was similar to mine.
DeleteYour comparison of Milkman and Meursault is really interesting. I think we do get a better sense of some of the factors that led to Milkman’s aimlessness than we ever do for Meursault. We know Milkman isn’t ever forced to name his own goals; his family provides for all of his material needs and his father gives him a job. His family, especially his father, have pretty set expectations for Milkman’s life so it’s easy for him to go along with them. I also think that Milkman is somewhat overwhelmed by his family history near the beginning of the book and that prevents him from creating his own personality and goals.
ReplyDeleteI definitely noticed the similarities between Milkman and Meursault too. Although, while Meursault doesn't "step outside his comfort zone" at the end, he does have a drastic change in character and the two are similar in that respect as well.
ReplyDeleteWhile the two are similar in terms of personality, they are different as well. Meursault seems to lack the ability to care, while Milkman is indifferent on purpose.
I think that part of the reason for Milkman’s passive approach to life is because he was given everything without having to work for it. He has no reason to be inquisitive or come up with creative ways to get something. I think the other reason for his general lack of interest is his home environment. I can understand that, I guess - that type of family interaction does not encourage independence of thought. As Ethan pointed out, his flight from home releases these constraints and he begins to be passionate about his interests.
ReplyDeleteI see the comparisons of passivity between the two characters. However, I think Milkman certainly has more drive than Meursault. He is more "successful" from an outside perspective. Although both lives are "simple", Meursault seemingly does whatever he feels like where Milkman has more of a "I'm given a task let's do it" persona.
ReplyDelete