Essay: Pivotal Moments In Song Of Solomon

In life, there are pivotal moments that shape people. When they or others look back on their life, they realize that they became who they are because of a specific event. Many times, these events occur during one’s youth. Since the brain is still forming during one’s youth, those are the pivotal moments have tremendous psychological effects. These psychological changes indirectly affect that person’s morals. Since a bildungsroman goes through one character’s life from their youth to their adulthood, these pivotal moments that shape someone’s psychological development. In Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Milkman’s pivotal moment of realizing that he did not have the power to fly proves that although one’s identity is formed in these moments, …show more content…
Although many children believe that they can do anything they set their mind to, there are certain actions, that because they are human, they are totally unable to do. These actions include flying and swimming underwater without ever having to go up for air. When children lose the mindset that they can do absolutely anything, they begin to quit on even trying to do something with their life. The same thing happened to Milkman because that realization “left his imagination so bereft that he appeared dull” (Morrison 9). As these children grow up and progress through life, that event stays with them. They realize that if they are unable to do the one action that they desired to do as a child, they truly are unable to become who they want to be. Similarly, Milkman’s life was described as “pointless, aimless”(Morrison 107) and “that he didn’t concern himself an awful lot about other people”(Morrison 107). Since Milkman could not become the flying man he desired to be, his life had no purpose because his one desire was shot down. Even though it may have nothing to do with the pivotal moment in their life, they remember that in that moment they were told they could not do what they set their mind to do. Also, Milkman began not to care about those around him. Since Milkman is unable to figure out what to do with his life, he can not begin to care about others. An example of how little he cared for others is that he gave Hagar a “Christmas thank-you note”(Morrison 126). Milkman “hurt her, left her”(Morrison 332) and ultimately kills her. He does not purposefully kill her but because he is unable to care about those around him, he killed her by breaking her heart. However, once people figure out what they were put on this Earth to do and understand where they belong in the scheme of things, then they can begin to show empathy, sympathy, and care about how other people feel. Since that