Heritage Parallelism Pilate has a strong connection with her heritage, consequently leading Milkman to go on his own journey of discovery about the Dead family line. “When I cut out by myself, I headed for Virginia. I thought I remembered that was where my papa had family,” (page 141) here, Pilate relates her own story of trying to find family to Ruth. Milkman later follows this path from Pilate’s childhood home to Virginia, also looking for family. “Milkman followed in her tracks,” (page 258) Toni Morrison writes. This quote draws a clear parallel between Pilate’s maturation and Milkman’s own maturation. Moreover, Morrison suggests that Pilate is a determining factor in the way that Milkman matures, because her path is the one that he is
