Gregor vs. Milkman
Reading Song of Solomon, I noticed another set of parallels; those between Gregor and Milkman. Starting out, neither of them have their own identity. Gregor spends years working at a job he hates to pay off his parent’s debt, and the only other hobby he has is making picture frames. Milkman aimlessly drifts through life, still works for his dad, who Milkman’s helped since he was twelve, going from woman to woman, and generally being bored despite having so much money. It’s interesting how similar the two are despite their different economic classes.
Both Gregor and Milkman’s characters center around their fathers – before the transformation, Gregor’s goal in life is essentially to work for his dad, and do nothing else. Milkman models after his dad for the entirety of Part 1, after which the coming-of-age section begins. Milkman fights the similarity – as he grows up, he tries to do everything the opposite of his father. But at the end of Part 1 he’s been acting and living just like Macon – his main goal is to earn money, he’s entitled and self-centered, and emotionally abuses the women in his life (by ignoring Ruth and Hagar, to the point where she goes crazy).
Despite the similarities between Gregor and Milkman, the circumstances (and perhaps, genre) of their stories lead their development in different directions. Milkman matures while Gregor declines. One person transforms from man to bug, the other grows from an adolescent into a (flying?) man. These paths are pretty clearly going in opposite directions. But Milkman’s maturation doesn’t go as far in the positive direction as Gregor’s goes in the negative. This is because the novels have different goals, and also because of the twist Song of Solomon puts on the idea of the coming-of-age novel. While he is discovering himself and having epiphanies, Hagar is dying. Milkman returns home triumphantly to be locked in the basement by a grieving Pilate. The hero’s mistakes have real consequences, which he has to deal with. This makes his victorious arc much less glamorous. Speaking of glamour, Milkman doesn’t finish the quest and get rich, or become a god, or end up happily married forever. He is fulfilled by leaping (flying?) off a cliff while fighting his best friend. This is a deviation from how coming-of-age novels usually end, and just as ambiguous as the beginning of the book, leaving us unsure how to judge Milkman in the end.
This is a really great parallel that I have never really thought of. I always compared Milkman to Meursault. Milkman was constantly bored by his surroundings while Meursault didn't care about anything and so I considered them in the same position. But you are right, there is a similarity between Gregor and Milkman and it is interesting to look at the point where they started to diverge.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't really thought of the two characters being similar, but you make a good point. It's interesting to see that a lot of our main protagonists have dealt with some sort of parental issue in their lives (Antoinette, Gregor, Milkman), but all of their stories eventually take different paths.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really interesting comparison to make! I like the idea that their progressions are mirrors of each other, moving in opposite directions. I'd say that you could also potentially compare Hagar to Gregor and Milkman to the rest of the Samsa family. Hagar steadily declines as Milkman's treatment of her drives her crazy, and during that time Milkman improves continually as he realizes his independence. It's really not that different from the way the Samsas are spurred to improve in the wake of Gregor's transformation.
ReplyDeleteI like the comparisson you make between the protagonists and their fathers. Both Gregor and Milkman are products of their domineering fathers. However, they do use this upbringing in different ways. Gregor continues to wilt away and die, whereas Milkman makes a point of being different and pursuing his own destiny. In this sense, I struggle with which character I sympathize with more. Gregor always struck me as a pathetic and lost individual, but Milkman used the people in his life for selfish purposes for 30 years. Eventually, Milkman changes, but I'm not sure if this makes up for all the lost time. Indeed, in the case of Hagar, he doesn't quite seem to understand the effect of his actions.
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