Fly away

“The fathers may soar / And the children may know their names.” In these seemingly throw away lines of Toni Morrison’s novel, Song of Solomon, the multi-faceted thematic idea of escaping problems soars into the reader’s minds. This decision between fighting problems and flying away from them comes from instincts, where animals will get out of trouble by fighting or fleeing where they are. Normally weaker animals that are unable to triumph and face their problems head on will be the ones to flee. This same idea is shown in the human fight or flight problem shown in the novel. As illustrated by Milkman and Solomon, weak people run from their problems, making it harder for the others who stay and fight. 

    Flying away from problems seems like an unattainable dream. By getting away from problems, people can start a new life, or turn a new page on life. When Milkman travels south both to get out and find his family’s gold, he realizes how everyone treats him differently in the new places. Rather than being known for his past or for his father’s money and power, he is known for the person that he is, and that by leaving he can escape the weird life he lives and start over new. This will to escape comes from deep in his ancestry, for his great grandfather used the same idea to get out of his problems. Rather than staying on the plantation with his family, he gets up and flies away, escaping his problems of slavery by apparently flying back to Africa like a bird. By escaping the life that they live, both characters are shown to be able to make a better life for themselves, however, it is not simply about them. By escaping, they leave behind people who are going through the same problems, hurting those people by making it harder on them. 

    People who escape are seen as weak as they leave behind people who still need help. By getting up and leaving, the characters mentioned before may be able to live a better life for themselves, but end up ruining it for those around them. When Milkman leaves, he completely messes up Hagar’s life, as she breaks down completely and dies because Milkman didn’t love her enough. When Milkman returns from his trip after some time, he realizes what Hagar had done, and understands how his great grandfather’s flight affected those around him. By escaping the slavery, Solomon leaves behind his wife and 21 children, causing his wife great distress and leaving these many children to fend for themselves. By doing this, he showed he was the weaker man, for instead of fighting through the troubling time he runs away. 

People who run from their problems inevitably harm those around them by leaving them by themselves to fight through the problems. This idea doesn’t only apply to the novel, but also is seen in the world today. People would rather run away from their problems than fight through them, so that they have an easier time, however the people they leave behind inevitably get hurt.