Song of Solomon

So... why are white people unnatural?

There is one passage in the book which really explores this issue. It is on page 156-157. "Telling them they are unnatural. Telling them they are depraved." Guitar and Milkman discuss the issue. Guitar is convinced that white people are unnatural. He states that even the best of white people (FDR and Kennedy) would have lynched if they were in the deep south. There is something different about them, Guitar thinks. In their "chromosomes." Milkman is skeptical, and disagrees with Guitar. Milkman is not a part of the stereotypical black experience. I could go on, but this is just plot summery of the passage.

What I'm going to concentrate on is who Milkman is as an character, and how Guitar plays off that. Milkman, to me, is not a black character. His "blackness" is not important to his character, and he does not fall back on stereotypes or the color of his skin to define himself. He is much more defined by his parents, by his surroundings and his friends. Who is he? He is Milkman. He doesn't, as stated earlier in the book, belong anywhere for Part 1 of the novel. Not in the black side or the white side. I feel as though he is somewhat disconnected from these polarizing issues.
Guitar is the polar opposite. He is passionate about his race. He judges people by race. He is the antithesis of the Klansman; he is as racist as they come. This shows Milkman's disconnect: it gives a huge contrast. In other words, he is the foil for Milkman.
Lets bring this back to the passage. There are two sides to this issue: illustrating two extremes. Morrison not only defines Milkman's character by this conversation, but also the issue at hand. There are two sides to the issue, and I think that Morrison does a particularly good job of this. I also think that this passage was devoid of a lot of the symbolism which is rife throughout the rest of the novel (think: random white peacock). The issue is separate from the literary side of the book. I liked that... it really made me think about the book.

As for the issue at hand... I think that culture is what affects us as people. If FDR was raised in the deep south, he may have lynched someone. However, if the situation was reversed, it could have happened to anyone. I mean.. Guitar, one of the most articulate and intelligent people in the entire story ends up doing the equivalent of lynching. In this novel, as in the real world, you must approach people as individuals. Culture plays a huge role in the development of these individuals. Skin color only matters as much as the culture makes it. Thats why culture matters. Just my two cents.

That was quite the ramble.