Hagar's Minor (and by that I mean Major) Breakdown

Upon her initial frenzy to physically improve herself for Milkman, it is obvious that something is terribly wrong with Hagar, since the rate at which she tries to improve is simply impossible to achieve. Perhaps Hagar would've lived through this if Reba and Pilate did not aid her in this ridiculous task. Instead of giving her money to go shopping with and supporting this twisted idea that Hagar could improve herself enough in one single day to make Milkman love her, Reba and Pilate should have put an end to Hagar's absolutely preposterous mission. Hagar's death, which in my opinion was a result from her obsession, could have been avoided if she had been raised correctly and not spoiled throughout the entirety of her life. Her wretched appearance in the mirror is really just a reflection of the unappealing person inside of her. She had no identity outside of Milkman, and because of that once he left, she had no purpose to her life.

Milkman's Transformation

Perhaps one of the largest symbols for Milkman's transformation from an immature boy into an adult was the moment when he selflessly helped the man lift a crate. Although this moment was apparent to the reader when it occurred, it was not apparent to Milkman until his conversation with Guitar after Guitar's first attempt on his life. This realization for Milkman, that he was capable of helping others with nothing in return, shocks him, as well as Guitar. To me, this seems to be an example of Milkman starting to "fly" as he distances from his family and the [lack of a] life that he left behind in Michigan and as he begins to become more in-touch with his familial roots and discover the important aspects of life.

Milkman: A New Perspective

Throughout the entirety of Song of Solomon, I have found Milkman to be a rather worthless character, which is rather ironic considering he is the main character of the novel. But on page 180, we get to see a little bit deeper into the character of Milkman, and in my opinion, it is an integral turning point for his character development in the novel. After reading the passage in which he describes his hatred for his parents way of life and their relationship, I began to understand that there actually was reasoning behind his adoration of entangling himself in "whatever was light-hearted and without grave consequences" (180). Before this point, this part of Milkman has always peeved me, especially since I always think closely about ever decision I make and do not enjoy being involved in trivial activities; however, after this Milkman actually became my favorite character in the book (however, some of this is due to the fact that I don't like many of the other characters either). Morrison used this portion to make Milkman a relatable character and by letting known his reasons for his decisions, she succeeded 

The True Destruction of the Seven Days

Something that definitely caught my eye whilst reading the eighth chapter in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, was Guitar’s brief thought of perhaps using the money from his and Milkman’s peculation at Pilate’s house to help his family; however, that thought was quickly muted by his obligation to fulfill the murders of four little innocent white girls for The Seven Days. 

Although I am not in agreement with the intrinsic purpose of The Seven Days, putting that aside, it seems that this might be another detrimental aspect of the group. For because Guitar and the men from Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday have to adhere to the group, and therefore spend energy and possibly money carrying out the murders, they do not spend time on caring for their loved ones or their community in the least. Guitar’s family, who are probably poverty stricken and in desperate need of some financial aid, are not going to receive any help from their son/brother because he is too busy killing innocent little girls. My understanding of the overall purpose of The Seven Days is helping the black community become equal with the white community; however, is this goal even attainable if every opportunity to aid any blacks monetarily or vocationally is not seized with fervor? And don’t the members of The Seven Days seem to be putting that imperative aspect of their goal on the back burner and instead focusing on the negative? It seems to me that the just a tiny bit of the destruction of their own community may in fact be due to their negligence.