In real life, this has happened somewhat humorously to myself. Between the high school soccer teams in the cities of Champaign-Urbana, there is some sense of rivalry. While nothing matches the intensity of Judah-Uni or the tri-cornered rivalry between Urbana, Central, and Centennial, the match-up between Urbana and Uni at least has the feel of a little brother trying desperately to hit an older sibling (see figure 1).
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| figure 1: all attempts of the younger brother to get close to his elder are futile |
In Song of Solomon, we see the exact same situation play out. Dr. Foster, who earned the adoration of the community and a street to be named after him, did not return the favor to his patients in private company. As Macon Dead II saw it, he was not a kind man at all:
He was just about the biggest Negro in this city. Not the richest, but the most respected. But a bigger hypocrite never lived. Kept all his money in four different banks. Always calm and dignified. I thought he was naturally that way until I found out he sniffed ether. Negroes in this town worshipped him. He didn't give a damn about them, though. Called them cannibals. He delivered both your sisters himself and each time all he was interested in was the color of their skin. (71)It is true that Macon could very well be embellishing the story for his own purposes, or that he is severely exaggerating the truth, but even looking at Ruth we see some of this reflected in her. For her son, she wants for him to be a doctor, unlike the more pedestrian real-estate business Macon has set up for him to inherit. For her daughters, she wants them to marry doctors, somebody important. When that seems impossible, she wants people of high stature still. Eventually, it becomes apparent they will not marry anybody at all unless they are from the Southside, a low blow to Ruth. Nowhere as extreme as the Doctor's alleged feelings on the matter, but still reminiscent of them.
Despite all this, the community gave him so much respect. The woman who invited Ruth to the funeral claims the Doctor saved her son, when really they were just lucky that the people at the sanatorium wouldn't let him send any patients their way. Ruth herself associates with well-to-do ladies of the community and doesn't degrade her station in any way.
On the other hand, Macon is disliked, hated, or mistrusted by nearly everybody in the community, and it's extended to his family. Feather kicks Milkman and Guitar out of the pool hall exclusively because of who Milkman's father is. Guitar himself notes that he had to get over Macon to be okay with Milkman, considering that his first meeting with Macon was to be kicked out of his house with his family. Milkman's actions and attempts to be different from his father seem to stem heavily from the hatred he receives in place of his father.
The girls too are overshadowed by their father's reputation. For their whole lives, they were paraded around those their father wanted to impress, then locked away from life among the other kids of the community. Corinthians can't admit what she actually does for the Poet Laureate, considering how high she should have been able to reach according to her family's reputation. In her shenanigans with Porter, she fears and awakens the retribution of her father for being among the "common folk." Porter too fears being discovered with her, again for her family's known qualities.
Wherever the Deads go, they are overshadowed by the past they have no option but to carry with them. Their reputations serve as a speaker for them, informing others around them of what they should think of them. Toni Morrison here captured a fascinating and very real element of life surrounding the Deads.
That's a good point. First impressions are crucial. That's part of why I think people were so tolerant of Milkman for so long as well. For people who got to know him, he was an innocent, curious, fun kid. However, he became more an more like his father, but people didn't seem to notice his changing behavior and increasing selfishness. Perhaps that's part of why Milkman's so popular at parties, and he manages to have several girlfriends, and he manages to stay friends with Guitar (to some extent) this far in the book.
ReplyDeleteTo go along with Ted's point, it seems like Milkman also doesn't change his opinions of the other characters until someone tells him to. Pilate is always the crazy, exciting aunt, his mother is always weak and his father is always strong, Guitar is his childhood best friend (and as far as we know, only friend). The only thing that makes him rethink his opinions on people is he hears stories about them -- and even then, he normally just frames the stories based on what he already thinks. For example, when Macon tells him about Ruth and the Doctor, he takes it as though it just proved what he had always thought, that his mother was somewhat strange and pathetic, and so there was no point in telling him. And when his mother gives her side of the story, he doesn't fall to her feet and apologize and change his opinion of her; instead, he just takes it as even more proof that his dad is a dick, like he's been all along.
ReplyDeleteThe "respect gap" between the Doctor and Macon II is understandable: everything that makes the Doctor less appealing in Macon's eyes is *private*, hidden from public view, aspects of his attitude, arrogance, and the whiff of perversity that attends him. But to the community, he is the guy the street is named after, the guy who owns the biggest house on the block. Macon's profession--however worthy of respect it might be--is still the kind of thing people tend to resent. Maybe a landlord totally deserves the rent money he collects, but the people who *pay* it tend to resent the guy they pay it to. Landlords tend to be disliked--slumlords especially. There will always be this gap between Macon (and thus Milkman) and the people who rent from him. (Remember, Guitar's first impression of Milkman's father is him evicting his grandmother.)
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