With Struggle Comes Happiness

Even with all of these struggles that each character faces family and the discoveries that they make learning about the greatness of their families and love are what comes out in the end. This shows the strength that I believe to be within every African American.

Song of Solomon

In Song of Solomon the struggles that are apparent in the African American is emphasized as something that is passed down from generation to generation. The character of Milkman has recieved the emotional disease that makes him emotionless, even with all of the compassion that his family gives him. It is expressed that this is something that has been passed down through generations and it is something that will continue. This gives me the idea that Morrison portrays the struggles that African Americans face is inescapable. It is almost that it is their destiny.

Milkman also feels confined which I also believe to be a struggle that African Americans face.

In this novel, money is also something that they struggle with. It being that over 50% of the African Americans in the US suffer from poverty I still see that this is a major issue.

That feeling of revenge is also something that African-Americans most struggle with. Because of their constant reminding that whites have supressed their people for so long they feel the constant need to seek revenge. In this novel they have a secret society called Seven Days which murders innocent whites for the injustices of African Americans. They feel that this effort to kill whites compensates for the injustices that the African Americans face.

In this novel it also becomes evident that discovery and the lack of knowledge amout one's ancestry is yet another struggle. Milkman goes on a voyage to find traces of his family history.

Another struggle which has been shown in Beloved as well is the sadness that wives face when they are seperated from their husbands. Often times it drives them to go crazy as did Milkman's great-grandmother as well as Milkman's love Hagar.

Reason # 5 for Sethe's Struggle

To add to Sethe's struggle, when she was escaping from the plantation she lost her husband. She has no idea at this point what has happened to him. She doesnt even know if he is alive.

Men vs. Women in Struggle

Paul D doesnt seem to struggle as much as Sethe, partly because he doesnt have to deal with as many hardships as she does, but he still does have hardships that he seems to be able to deal with. I wonder if Morrison is trying to convey that men are able to deal with their hardships more than women. Do you think this is possible?

Could Morrison Be Trying to Make a Statment??

After further reading, I decided that I have developed another quesion:I wonder if Morrison is saying that when one doesnt recall those terrible memories that they have they will be able to get over their hardships and end their life of struggle. I wonder this because Sethe is constantly reminded of her terrible memories and it is hard for her to get over them. Each thing that she recalls from the past translates more hardships that she also experienced in the past to the reader. On the other hand Paul D doesnt really recount his terrible memories and he seems to be stronger than Sethe. What do you think?

Denver's Struggle

Denver, who is Sethe's living daughter, also has a constant struggle of the returning of the ghost of her sister. She also deals with the hardship of having no friends. She is a very lonely child, in fact her only friend she says is the ghost that everyone else is afraid of.

Sethe's Sons Struggles

Sethe's sons struggle with the constant reminding of the death of their eldest sister, whose ghost wanders around the house. They have to deal with this so much that it forces them to run away, which imposes yet another hardship on their mother, who has to worry about their safety and well-being constantly.