The Theme of Racial Injustice in as Presented in Novel by Toni Morrison Song of Solomon (Essay Sample)

Name:
Tutor:
Course:
Date:
Racial Injustice
Title: the theme of racial injustice in as presented in novel by Toni Morrison "Song of Solomon”
Thesis: Racial injustice is one of the major themes of the novel that has been used in moving the plot and in particular it deals with discrimination of non-whites, subjection to forced labor, the reaction of the non-whites towards the harsh treatments by the whites and also an effort by the characters such as milkman to disentangle from the enslavement of racial injustice.
Outline
* Abstract
* How racial injustice though slavery was the cause of milkman's grandfather flying to go back to Africa.
* Thesis: Racial injustice is one of the major themes of the novel that has been used in moving the plot and in particular it deals with discrimination of non-whites, subjection to forced labor, the reaction of the non-whites towards the harsh treatments by the whites and also an effort by the characters such as milkman to disentangle from the enslavement of racial injustice.
* How Macon dead enslaves the nonwhite with a motive of gaining wealth.
* Introduction
* Describes how racial injustice was moved through inferiority making the segregated group to withdraw in a distinct region. This is as further portrayed in the novel that ethnicity determined the way in which the regions created by tony Morrison were inhabited.
* Tony Morrison's choices of characters such as Macon dead man to perpetrate the theme of racial injustice. Macon is seen to enslave the non-white in his quest for wealth.
* Main Body
* The history of the non-white community that lived in Shalimar in Virginia as seen through milkman a protagonist in the novel.
* Milkman was part of the history of the non-whites in Shalimar but had been unaware of this fact for the better part of the family that had raised him had been a hindrance for this knowledge about his past
* Milkman embarks on a journey in search of gold in Shalimar, Virginia but this turns out to be a discovery of his heritage.
b. What milkman discovered at Shalimar and his experience that greatly altered his earlier perception.
* The experience milkman had in Shalimar was shaped by the hostility he received from the non-whites in that community and the song that the children presented which outlined all the names of milkman's family.
* Milkman in this particular incident discovers though the narrative that indeed his grandfather who had flown back to Africa was part of this community and had only left on the face of slavery.
* Milkman reflects and repents of his treatment towards the nonwhite community ling in this area. He then vows to pursue his African heritage and purposes to fly o Africa.
* How the novel show the part played by other characters in moving the theme of racial injustice.
* Pilate comes up in the story development as one that was portraying the role of an African woman in the novel.
* Macon dead as used by only Morrison to portray the ruthlessness of the whites towards the non-white community in their hunger to gain wealth.
* Conclusion
* Thesis: Racial injustice is one of the major themes of the novel that has been used in moving the plot and in particular it deals with discrimination of non-whites, subjection to forced labor, the reaction of the non-whites towards the harsh treatments by the whites and also an effort by the characters such as milkman to disentangle from the enslavement of racial injustice.
* The novel revelation through the characters that racial injustice needed to be shunned and ethnicity addressed. This is portrayed as the plot developed and a conclusion reached on the value of one's heritage as shown by milkman in this case.
Abstract
The theme of Racial Injustice permeates the novel by Toni Morrison "Song of Solomon" in various ways. Racial injustice, as presented in "Song of Solomon" presents the thick racial tensions in addition to playing an important role in moving the plot. The grandfather of Milkman, Solomon, moves away from his personal home due to slavery. The death of Guitar's grandfather occurs as a result of his employer who was white (Middleton 64). However, in spite of the fact that most of the characters in the novel have been trying to free from their families past of enslavement, in one way or the other they are enslaving themselves. For instance, Macon Dead notifies Milkman of his desire for freedom so that he gets money and a lot of money for that matter and also wins a person. This leads him to enslave others at the expense of gaining wealth.
Introduction
The theme of racial injustice has been clearly brought out in the case of migration to the white society that dominates; the immigrants are reduced to a position that shows they are inferior. That inferiorism leads to their identity being defined in a diminished way. Their attempt to get assimilated into the cultural framework that is dominant has borne no fruits. That is because they are denied a social identity that is genuine and thus not absorbed in the main social structure (Medoro16). Therefore, they end up with one basic necessity of establishing their own ethnic background. The ethnic background serves as the determining factor in the creation of a distinct but different identity that is equal to that of the society of the whites. A good example is America that has various ethnic groups such as, Afro-American, Jewish-American and the Asian-American.
The novel by Morrison tackled the issue of racial injustice to help end those involved in such acts to change and have value for all people in spite of their ethnic groups. Exemplary instances of the elements of racial injustice are clearly brought out in Song of Solomon as they have been employed in literary journey. Morrison, in her writing has created a world of the blacks that is entirely independent. The main characters in the novel that move the theme of racial injustice are Macon dead and other whites who ruthlessly dealt with the blacks in their quench for money (Smith 105). In the entire novel, Song of Solomon, Morrison addresses the perceptions as well, as the imposed values of the dominant culture that has led to racial injustice. Morrison gives cultural knowledge and the beliefs situated in the traditions of America's African heritage.
According to Tony Morrison (Song of Solomon), milkman who in the first place had being unconscious of racial injustice due to the privilege of his class started the journey so as to find gold. In the novel Milkman begins his journey with the aim of seeking freedom from his duties by repossessing a family treasure. However, instead of gold that he was seeking he comes across the rich tradition of his ancestors. This discovery makes the Milkman to develop a deep sense of his familial responsibilities (Taylor 106). Moreover, he gains substantive, profound wisdom and knowledge about the tribe and family history. His journey to Shalimar in Virginia had brought him to the full comprehension of his past that had been hidden from him (Wilentz 61). Further, Milkman's sensibility for the blacks had been prevented by the Westernization that he had acquired from his father.
As per the Novel Milkman, had at first being unaware of social injustice that existed in his community. Macon dead is one of the perpetrators of racial injustice since due to his hunger for money he led to oppression of many African Americans. He had always ferried them with trucks when he needed some unknown faceless laborers (Furman and Morrison 269). It is the perception and hope of Milkman that his hometown would be highly regarded by all since in Danville that was the origin of his family history; he was seen as an icon of heroism and worship. That was not in vain since whenever he appeared to gather superiority over his fellow blacks as he so much desired, that only earned him abhor ration and more contempt. Nevertheless all his problems that milkman found himself in had been caused by his father Macon who had no regard for the African Americans.
Although it is clearly stipulated in the novel using the statement that milkman was unloved in his home and that his name was dreaded in that it was unsung among the niggers, he came to discover the pain that his father had dragged him when he afflicted the black people. (Furman and Morrison 273). However, something new dawns on Milkman when he had been left alone in the heart of the pitch dark forest. He became conscious of the treatment he had received in Shalimar since his arrival and also the manner in which he had mistreated his fellow Negros (Wehner and Furman 110). This happened when he had attended the initiatory course, trial-by-fire in Shalimar where according to the culture the elders of the black people extended an invitation to the black urbanites for a hunting expedition that was known to be difficult and lengthy.
It is during this period when Milkman had been left on his own in a terrifying forest that was filled with all manner of monsters that the revelation hit him. The treatment he had received from the people of Shalimar describing him to be one of those eager to fault, hot tempered, suspicious, traitorous and that he despised outsiders (Furman and Morrison 279). However, he engages his himself in a struggle and concludes that it was necessary for him to do away with such unwise perspectives. Despite all this experiences the actual change is attained in Milkman after the blues song that was performed by the children of Shalimar. During the performance his mind is tossed to an irritable state that he had never experienced in his early life. The song rang in his ears as a bell and now he was more attentive as he listened. To his amazement the song by presented by the children was about his origin, the ancestors. More specifically the song talked of his great grandparents and his i...