Flight in Song of Solomon

It seems as though everyone's childhood fantasy is to fly. Whether it's emulating Marry Poppins by jumping of steps with an umbrella or pretending to be their favorite flying super hero, children love the idea of flight. As we get older, we never truly abandon this fantasy. Instead, it seems to morph into something more practical. We search for feelings that make it seem as though we are flying. In Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, the main character Milkman Dead is no different. His life seems to be centered about flight, which is somewhat ironic as for the first part of the novel he had never left his hometown before. His mother went into labor as a man tried to attempt flight and failed. As a child he is heartbroken when he learns he cannot fly in the literal sense. However, readers see in the novel that Milkman's desire to fly is really a desire to escape. He feels trapped and restricted by his family and his town. Milkman does manage to escape both, but his flight from his hometown mimics that of Solomon. Milkman hears the story of Solomon who flew away from slavery. However, he had a wife and twenty one children he left behind. His wife is unable to cope without her husband and goes insane. Back in his hometown, the woman who loves Milkman dies of a broken heart. Morrison draws attention to the miracle of flight but also the emotional pain that surrounds it. One cannot escape without leaving something or someone behind and hurt.