Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Chapter Five: WHAT IS GOIN' ON?
So this last week we have to have read chapter 5. There were many things that were extremely strange but one that particularly struck me as a WTF (WTF- Why the Face (As in my face when I read this chapter)) moment was when Milkman was so chill about being murdered. In the first part of the chapter, he is with Guitar and he is so calm. What is goin' on?
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Milkman deals with the coming death in a strange way, because he shows two opposite feelings: at the beginning of the chapter "fear lay like a pair of crossed paws on his chest"(113), meaning that he was afraid of being murdered and he was trying to get away from the thought of death, but then he seems to want to give up his life because he didn't want to have to think or be or do something of any of his problems, and when Hagar is right in front of him ready to kill him "the fear was gone"(129). He might becomes so calm because he is confident about the fact that Hagar won't have the courage to actually kill him because she is too in love with him and at the end he is right because Hagar stays paralyzed and she doesn't have the strength to inflict the mortal cut : "try as she might, the ball joint in her shoulders would not move [...] at the thirtieth second Milkman knew he had won"(130). This passage anyway brings up a constant theme of the book,that is death, and how the different characters deal with it.
ReplyDeleteI find that Milkman's calmness about awaiting his death shows his similarity to Ruth. In chapter 3 Morrison writes that Ruth "deliberately followed death when it beckoned"(64). As Vale said, the theme of death in the book is very apparent especially in the characters of Ruth and Milkman. I think that the reason why it is so apparent in these specific characters is because they are the ones who have trouble finding a reason to live. Ruth receives no love from her family and all Milkman seems to find joy in is partying and meaningless relationships with random women. For these characters, death gave them a sense of purpose or direction; to Ruth, death's "threat gave her direction, clarity, and audacity" (64). The reason why Milkman was so accepting of his death was because, like his mother, death was the only thing he had to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Bridget in that Milkman's calmness about his death shows that he is similar to Ruth. Both Ruth and Milkman have this calmness of death because they can't find a future in their life and it is hard for them to live and not know what they want to do with themselves or what direction they want to take. This is why death seems to not be such a big deal to both of them. It's something that seems as though they look forward to because they can't find anything better to look forward to.
ReplyDeleteI think Milkman is so calm in the beginning of this chapter because he has accepted his own death. He knew it was coming and did not try to escape. He is tired of his life because of the monotony of it all. He doesn't have a very good sense of self and feels like he lacks a purpose. He doesn't have a reason to fight forward unlike Guitar whose purpose is to seek vengeance. I agree with what Ryan said that Milkman, like Ruth, doesn't have anything in the future to look forward too.
ReplyDeleteI think that Milkman decides that he kinda wants to die at the beginning of the chapter. He is fed up with his family and has realized that his wish for a 'normal' family will never come true. He sees that he cannot stop Hagar's love for him and so he gives himself up to his fate. I agree with Merritt that Milkman sees how uneventful and unoriginal his life is. He is living the life of a grown child, not a responsible man.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Merritt and Katie. I think that Milkman hearing all the stories about his past realizes that he could just have die and everything would be better. Guitar tells him that if there is a way to do something about it he should do it, but if not he should just simply forget about it. I think that Milkman can´t forget what Ruth, Pilate and Macon told him. In the same way as Hagar can´t stop loving him, he can´t forget about all the things and therefore he tries to make peace with the possibility that Hagar could kill him.
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