Song of Solomon. The Journey of Milkman and How It Changes Him

Song of Solomon and No Country for Old Men
Name
Institution
Song of Solomon
The Journey of Milkman and How It Changes Him
Macon Dead III, nicknamed as Milkman, is an African-American kid born by his mother Ruth. The novel explains his story from when he is aged four years. He grows up alienated, stifled and lacks interest about life at his home and in the Southside. His family relationship is particularly strained towards his father and it is evident that there exists little connection between Milkman and his sisters. In Chapter Two, Milkman makes a journey to Pennsylvania to search for gold that he believes should be in the cave. He meets Reverend Cooper who was familiar to Milkman’s father when he was a boy near Danville. Cooper tells Milkman a lot of stories about Macon Dead which creates connection between Milkman and his past. Eventually, he is able to know the land of his grandfather in which an old house stands. On reaching there, Milkman finds Circe, an old servant to Butler family who had witnessed how the family had collapsed. Circe narrates to Milkman of how comes Milkman found only bones in the cave and how the gold went missing. Therefore, Milkman comes to a conclusion that the gold must have been retrieved by Pilate and taken to Virginia and he moves to look for it.
On his way, Milkman meets Shalimar, who tells him about Bryd house where he would find Susan to connect the fragments that existed in Milkman’s ancestry. Little information is offered to him when he visits Bryd and he leaves promising to later visit the place again. He meets Guitar who does not believe him and claims that Milkman had already taken the gold for himself. A day later, Milkman hears town children playing while they sang the Song of Solomon. To Milkman, it is the first time he was hearing it, and he remembers that back in Michigan, Pilate hand sang a similar song. Therefore he relates the song with the little information he has about his family’s history. He realizes that the song is all about his family. He is able to confirm his suspicion when he later goes back to Byrd house and Susan relates the information. Milkman heads to Michigan to locate Pilate.
On reaching Michigan, Milkman reaches Pilate’s home and finds her where she greets him and knocks him unconscious, as a revenge to the grievance he had caused to her granddaughter, leading to her death. Later, Milkman is able to convince Pilate to accompany him to bury her father in Virginia. According to Milkman, it is good for Macon Dead Sr. to be finally laid to rest in Shalimar, the home of his ancestors. They travel together and bury Pilate’s father while his remai...