The Theme of Flight in Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

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Flight is a dominant and a critical theme in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon. The writer introduces this theme at the start of the novel through the notion that “the father may soar/and the children may know their name.” Notably, this is the first reference to the theme, and it plays an imperative role in introducing it. Therefore, the theme of flight is what makes Morrison’s book awesome and a must read for lovers of literature. Solomon’s flight helps him escape slavery in the cotton fields in Virginia (Morrison, 110). However, it is also a scar leaves on his wife, Ryna, whom he abandons to take care of twenty-one children alone. Therefore, Song of Solomon uses flight to show that it can help those who are in constricting situations but still it is a scar to those who are left behind.
The use of Human flight as a possibility makes this book appealing to the reader. Most importantly, it makes the readers discover that flight is not only grounded in reality as they previously knew. That is why the writer helms from reality to magical and mythological events. Morrison ensures that his audience enters the world of song and imagines a man fly from a hospital building and he makes his falling ambiguous (Furman & Toni, 128). Funny enough, we do not see this flight, and it is not evident how he falls to the earth. As a matter of facts, we are told that the when the individual had his corpse examined, and there was no blood on him, we are taken by surprise.

It leaves us wondering if the person, whom we now understand to be Robert Smith, was lucky after all once he decided to fly across Lake Superior.
People observe Robert Smith’s flight, but they do not prevent him but encourage him. It is very evident that the people in this community do not view flight as a suicide mission. Rather, observers of Smith behave in ways that suggest his flight is very possible. To the dismay of the reader, Shalimar’s residents have no reason to believe that Smiths flight is a myth, and they believe that it occurred (Morrison, 130). Therefore, the fact that Morrison makes human flight possible and natural from the start to the end of the novel makes it a magical realism type of literature material. In the book, the theme of flight is used as a very crucial aspect that follows Milkman Dead, who is a protagonist, throughout his life (Furman & Toni, 34). Precisely, Morrison uses this aspect contrastingly at the beginning and the end of the novel. It forms a kind of outline that holds the narration together.
At the start of the novel, we learn about the birth of Milkman with the “abortive attempt” whereby Smith, an insurance agent, flies from the roof of a hospital. Milkman’s aunt had predicted that he would be born on this day and this use of superstition supports the author’s use of magical realism. Milkman and Smith are contrasted as two distinct characters. Smith had learned earlier that only birds and airplanes had the ability to fly. Besides losing all interest in himself, he was sad that he had to live without that single gift. Milkman, on the other hand, for an extended period does not believe that human flight is possible. At times he wishes he knew how to fly, but he does not seem to understand why (Morrison, 17). For this reason, the community continues to view him as an unusual person. His feeling alienation only ends when he starts to see the reality in human flight.
Through flight, Milkman is freed from the dangerous environment in Not Doctor Street. Through this character and others like Solomon the writer attempts to illustrate the distinction between flight and desertion. In fact, Milkman notes that Pilate’s ability to fly without lifting her feet off the ground means she has gained mastery over flight (Furman & Toni, 201). Milkman acknowledges that she has managed to free herself from subjugation and she did not have to leave anybody behind. For this reason, it is evident to the reader that Morrison extensively uses flying and soaring as a literal as well as a figurative event for the purpose of pushing the book to the genre of magical pragmatism. Human flight is accepted as natural among Morrison’s characters. In other words, the writer throughout the novel tells the stories of fathers who run and abandoned their children and family.
The theme of flight also echoes with the mythology that tells of slaves who took flight and went back to their homeland, Africa. Milkman’s Grandfather, Solomon, did the same and left behind his wife and many children. The writer, towards the end of the novel, reinforces his theme by depicting Pilate as a character who can get the better of the whole the whole flight and abandonment mystery (Morrison, 300). The writer, through Pilate, portrays the difference between flight and abandonment. In fact, he makes us believe that the action of characters taking flight and leaving their loved ones behind is not justified. Pilate has solved the puzzle, and she can fly, and he never leaves anyone behind. In the end, Milkman capitulates to the air and has an interest in learning how to fly.
Interestingly, the act of flight and what it represents is depicted as a more important aspect of the novel than the flight that Milkman makes. It is used as an assertion of transfiguration. Some sources argue that Mr. Smith may have taken his flight and Milkman eventually soared but they were both unsuccessful (Morrison, 323). However, by making that argument shows how they overlook the difference in situations in which these characters are. In fact, when Mr. Smith left a suicide note and said that his actions were a sign of love, some argue that the main reasons were culpability and desolation. On the other hand, it can be argued that Mr. Smith’s attempted suicide portray control and victory and not defeat (Furman & Toni, 78). Either way, you argue it, you come to a conclusion that it transformed many and their perception of human flight. In fact, far from shame and despair, both Milkman and Smith embraced risks and their roots and were eager and happy than ever before.
In summary, Song of Solomon uses flight to show that it can help those who are in constricting situations but still it is a scar to those who are left behind. From the start to the end, men characters are portrayed as abandoners who flew off and left their wives and children behind. It is worth noting that the theme of flight provokes different types of emotions. While it is incredible and seen as a victory for the community, it is a source of heartbreaks and loss to the people who are left behind. Therefore, the theme of flight is what makes Morrison’s book awesome and a must read for lovers of literature.
Works Cited
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. London: Vintage, 1998. Print.
Furman, Jan and Toni Morrison. Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon: A Casebook. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print.