On page 184, Milkman and Guitar are planning the heist at Pilate's house. After Milkman says when he will pick Guitar up, Morrison tells us that the peacock spread its tail. It's not necessarily foreboding, as that has a negative connotation, but it at least signifies that something big is about to happen.
Some sort of bird also shows up later, when Milkman is in Virginia, but I can't find the actual page. It shows up at a time that is right before the hunt, an event which I think we can all agree held some magnitude.
Finally, when we learn the name of Milkman's ancestors, his grandmother in particular, it is Byrd. This has to be another purposeful insertion of flight back into the story, and I think it's very clever on Morrison's part to keep reminding us of Milkman's wish for flight.
A white peacock for your enjoyment. :)
1 comment:
One crucial to key to the Peacock as an ambiguous image for flight is Guitar's comment, when he mocks the (male) bird for its "vanity"--"can't fly with all that jewelry." Note how Milkman is "losing everything" in Pa. and Va. (his luggage, his nice suit and shoes, even his watch by the end). We could see this as a shedding of the "stuff that weighs him down," as Guitar might put it. He's becoming less like the peacock and more like, maybe, Solomon from the local legend?
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