Naming the Past

As I continued my journey through Song of Solomon, I kept noticing how significant names are for the development of the characters and the way each person responds to their own. As the book turned into the narration of Milkman Dead’s life, I concentrated on how he reacted to his name. As he ventures into his aunt’s house with his friend, Guitar, and her aunt mentions that there are only three Deads alive, Milkman becomes defensive of his name, “as though having the name was a matter of deep personal pride, as though she had tried to expel him from a very special group, in which he not only belonged, but had exclusive rights” (Morrison, 38-39). This response to her aunt’s comment reflects Milkman’s desire to know everything about his family and his past, truly searching for whom he really is. Milkman’s obsession with the past is not only seen during his visit to his aunt’s, but during the Sunday trips in the car, where he mentions that he doesn’t like travelling backwards as he doesn’t know how the trees and people got there, he isn’t certain of their path, their past. The protagonist’s rebellious behavior, when visiting his aunt against his father’s will, responds to his desire of knowing more about his family, his roots, himself.

Similarly, Milkman’s obsession with the past responds to his disregard of the future. During this same visit at his aunt’s home, Milkman concludes that his necessity of knowing what was behind him “was becoming a habit – this concentration on things behind him. Almost as though there were no future to be had” (Morrison, 35). Notice how the first sentence can be understood as the obsession of knowing about the objects that are behind him or the obsession of knowing about his past. Morrison uses this to implant the second sentence, reflecting another of Milkman’s thoughts. This reminded me of Borge’s short story, Funes the Memorious, where he narrates the story of a man who could describe every leaf of a tree he once saw, or learn Latin by only looking at a dictionary and memorize a book by reading it once. Funes, much in the same way as Milkman, tries to conquer his memory, understanding his past and making something useful of it.

Furthermore, Milkman searches for the origin of his last name by consulting with his father. Macon tells the story of how his father had to register with a drunk agent of the Freedman’s Bureau who messed up his name. He later says that his mother liked how it came out to be: “Mama liked it. Liked the name. Said it was new and would wipe out the past. Wipe it all out” (Morrison, 54). The reader might glance through each of those short-lived sentences without noticing how they mirror a true recount of something stored in one’s memory, how it comes by pieces, how it repeats itself. I find it interesting how Morrison highlights that “wipe it all out” piece. I suppose it refers to their previous life as slaves. Clearly, Song of Solomon deals with the social conflicts of a “free” people who adapt to white life. Milkman’s search for the truth behind his name and family demonstrates the necessity of knowing their new role in society and letting go of that which he is obsessed with: the past.