One of the questions I asked in our discussion today was whether or not the class thought that Milkman’s epiphanies during chapter eleven would last and continue to have a bearing on him in subsequent chapters, or whether he would let them go as soon as he was out of the woods and the dangerous situation. In some ways I think they’ll stick, and in some ways I don’t.
As Joey pointed out in class, it would be really weird for Milkman to go back to treating everyone terribly and taking advantage of them, now that he has realized how horribly he has been acting. While he has not consciously said that he’ll begin to treat others with more respect and the like, I think this is one epiphany that will continue on. I think it’s doubtful that he’ll go back home and apologize to his family for all the wrongs he’s done, and I think it’s doubtful that they would accept such an apology, but I think he will at least start to treat them better.
When I first read the section right before Guitar shows up in the woods, pages 276, 277 thereabouts, I thought I noticed a slight self-pitying quality to the insights he was spouting. I thought he might be coming to all of these realizations simply because he was alone and lost in the woods, and felt bad for himself. I could see all of these insights coming to a head at, “Dear oh dear, I’ve been so terrible to everyone, what do I do? My life sucks, whine whine whine.” Which, when I read that, seems very critical. But when I first read it, that’s what I thought was going to happen. However, I think I was persuaded otherwise when Guitar tried to kill him, because like I said earlier, he showed maturity and gave himself the kick in the pants he needed.
I think that since he was able to get out of the situation and is now able to talk to guitar like he does in chapter 12, that these realizations will stick with him. He has gained a new perspective that wasn’t just “Wow, I should treat my family better because I almost just died,” but was more along the lines of, “Alright, I gotta get my shit together and actually do something productive, like treating my family better.”
Overall, I think Milkman will be better off because of this encounter with Guitar. The epiphanies are many, and I think they will leave him with a more humble and understanding outlook on life. He’s not going to be the perfect human or even gentleman, but he’ll (hopefully) behave a little better.
1 comment:
It would be strange and disappointing to imagine Milkman slipping back into his old ways once he returns home again, but it would be maybe an apt reflection of human nature, to slip on a life-altering resolution to change. But there are subtle little hints that his transformation isn't totally complete--like when he has his big showdown with Guitar in ch. 12, and he's got a cookie in his hand the whole time! Not his most badass moment . . .
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