Dead Tree
So as we kept reading the chapter 9 tonight, we read about Magdalena called Lena being mad at Milkman, because he told Macon about her relationship with Porter. Before she starts explaining to him why she really brought him to her room she shows him the little Maple. "The leaves should be turning red now. September is almost over. But they´re not; they´re just shriveling and falling down green. You peed on it." I think this part is really important not only because of the dying maple tree, but also because of what Lena says right after that. "You peed on it. And on me." What do you think Lena tries to tell us through the metaphor of dying tree?
I think that what Lena is trying to say with the metaphor of the dying tree is that Milkman through all of his life has been really selfish and no matter how many people cared about him, he has always acted in a careless way, without thinking of the consequences of his behaviors. Because of him now the tree is dying and Corinthians is not allowed to go out. Lena is trying to make Milkman change and not acting in a selfish way subordinating everyone and I think that Milkman at this point is really going to change, in fact he is ashamed after the attempt of stealing the god, his leg deformity disappeared and he starts to realize that he is equal to the other black people, even if he is wealthy ( he is stopped by the cops just because he is black).
ReplyDeleteI agree with Vale in that Lena's metaphor of the dying tree shows that Milkman has been living a life of selfishness. When Lena says how the leaves are falling off the tree, I think this symbolizes the ending of Lena and Porter's relationship because Milkman told Macon Jr. Just like their relationship was destroyed by Milkman, the tree was destroyed because Milkman peed on it. When Lena says, "You peed on me" she is referring to when Milkman was a little kid and he peed on her. In the scene where he accidently peed on her, he had a keen sense of her approaching him from behind; so when he turned he accidently peed on her. This also shows that he is still struggling to find his family's past.
ReplyDeleteFirst Corinthians*
ReplyDeleteI think that this passage is important because Milkman hindered the growth of the tree and hindered the growth and development of Lena and Corinthians. Milkman never had any respect for his sisters and treated them accordingly. He broke up First Corinthians and Porter without even considering her feelings. He believes he knows what is best for everyone and that ends up hindering their growths. What Lena says at the end of this chapter really highlights the immaturity that Milkman has exhibited throughout the beginning of the novel.
ReplyDeleteI think that the tree is almost like their family tree in a way, and by Milkman not knowing who he is, or rejecting who he is, he's constantly hindering the social development of his family within the town. He complains about his life, but by him complaining, he's not doing anything to help the situation. Lena argues that this has always been the case with him because he's just the guy who "pees on the tree" in every scenario he gets himself into, which is why I especially liked what Merritt said about Milkman hindering the development of Lena and First Corinthians.
ReplyDeleteI think Lena is like the tree since Milkman pissed on both. The tree is dying and so is Lena's tolerance for Milkman. At the end of the chapter, Lena mentioned that "... and you have pissed your last in this house". This represents the Milkman lost his last support in the house. And that's all I could think of what the tree represents -- the tolerance Lena has for Milkman.
ReplyDeleteThe dead tree could be related to the name "Macon Dead"..Milkman is dead personality wise I think and death (dead) is the only permanent part of the entire novel, and the only thing you can be certain of. In order to break Milkman out of this rut he's in, where he is trying to "discover his manhood" but at the same time really just being an ass to EVERYONE he knows, he needs to be aware of the fact that people do actually care for him, and he really is only dead to himself. He does nothing exciting with his life, and he only thing he has to be proud of is the fact that he punched his father, which he only did to prove his manhood in the first place...he needs to wake up.
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