The Ending: from Milkboy to Milkman

 I have read some and heard some criticism regarding the ending of Song of Solomon despite mostly positive takes on it in discussions. I agree with most of the class on this because Morisson uses it in a meaningful way, not just to be quirky or cliffhang us. We have talked a lot about Song of Solomon as a coming-of-age novel, and the ending really makes a good case for this.

Throughout the novel, we see the progression of Milkman as a character. For the first half of the novel, Milkman doesn't really go through any character development. But as the novel progresses we see Milkman finally becoming a real man by reconnecting with his past.

Morrison shows us his progression as a person through the different actions he takes. Usually, he will do something compassionate or unselfish, which we don't attribute to the Milkman in the story's first half. An example of this is when he helps the man on the train with the big crate. This is an entirely unselfish act from Milkman which shows some level of progression, although relatively minor. This is towards the beginning of his development into a compassionate man as we see him become more and more separated from the Milkman of old as the novel goes on.

By the final showdown between Guitar and Milkman, the rebirth of Milkman's character is almost complete. Milkman is almost unrecognizable from the character in the first half, and as Milkman challenges Guitar, the novel reaches an abrupt end. A lot of us wish that we knew what happened in the fight, but Morrison ending it here tells us that the outcome of the fight doesn't matter. At this point in the novel, Milkman's character arc is finally complete. Morrison ending the novel when Milkman's development has ended shows us that the novel was all about Milkman's character rebirth. The novel was never really about the adventures of Milkman, but rather his character development along the way, as cheesy as it sounds. In general, the plot of a coming of age novel is one that focuses on a character growing up. Although Milkman is in his 30s when he begins to develop, he is still "coming of age" in terms of maturity and the novel ends when he reaches the end of his maturation.


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