Song Of Solomon Hedonism Analysis

Throughout history, people’s desire for happiness has led them on different paths to try to achieve fulfilment. Some believe that simply increasing their own pleasure and decreasing pain can bring them contentment. This hedonistic approach to life and joy is contrasted against a eudemonic approach where one seeks satisfaction through overcoming challenges, creating meaningful relationships, and having a sense of purpose in life. In Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison’s characters contrast these two lifestyles and the life that results from each one. Ruth is a paradigm for a hedonistic life due to her objectification of others for personal pleasure, but Pilate is her opposite and demonstrates a eudemonic pursuit of happiness by generating and maintaining …show more content…
In the beginning of Milkman’s life, he disregards other people because he only focuses on himself and his own personal desires. When Milkman is talking to Guitar, he realizes how he doesn’t “concern himself an awful lot with other people”, and even after realizing this, he doesn’t make an effort to change his lifestyle (Morrison 107). This illustrates the way in which Milkman had lived his whole life up to that point: he did not care about others, he was only concerned with himself. Milkman has realized he is living a hedonic life because he is focused on gaining materials and ignores his connections with other people, but he still doesn’t change his indifference to people around him. In his early adulthood and throughout his childhood, he is only ever focused on his hedonic pursuits and ignores other people’s feelings and problems, preventing him from establishing real links with people. Once Milkman journeys to the south, his life and goals change from obtaining material wealth to connecting with his past and discovering who his family is. During his journey, he begins to desire connections with people, and notices how “his interest in his own people…had been growing” (Morrison 293). Milkman realizes he must discover his past and not focus on the gold he was originally seeking. This mental shift demonstrates his change from seeking hedonic pleasure to seeking eudemonic happiness by feeling engaged with his past. Milkman’s trip teaches him what to value in life, and how to escape his hedonic lifestyle to a life of purpose and engagement. This journey taught Milkman how to “value people over things”, which he was incapable of doing before (Blake 81). Milkman’s character transformation