At last, “...there was relief in his mother’s crooked smile. And Lena, though unforgiving as ever, was civil to him” (Morrison 334). While he definitely didn't "fix" the connection between his family, Milkman showed that it was at least possible for them to be reunited.
Though the ideas in racism drove this family apart at first, Milkman's reflection shows that it is possible for the family to come together still, through their shared experiences and how they each fought for survival in the circumstances that expected them to fail.
“Just as the consequences of Milkman’s own stupidity would remain, and regret would always outweigh the things he was proud of having done” (Morrison 335). Milkman demonstrates that there was still a chance to bring the family together, that they don't have to be forever disconnected.
Milkman began to feel shame and regret in what he had done to his family–not appreciating them enough, stealing, and pushing their love away. His sense of superiority (from being wealthy when racism tells you that you can’t) drove his family apart from each other.
He is the one that connects the story of all family members together, and perhaps that’s the true gold!
He reflects on his behaviors near the end of the book, realizing that, “Hating his parents, his sisters, seemed silly now. And the skim of shame...returned” (Morrison 300).
But ironically, he is the one in the end that brings the family together by uncovering the truth. Though there wasn’t a happy ending, there was still triumph. Milkman, though originally driven by financial desires to find the gold, finds out about his family’s past.
His motivation to continue to gain love anywhere else other than receiving love from his family–seen by the fact that he doesn’t appreciate anything that his sisters had done for him–made him one of the most inconsiderate characters in the book.
Milkman’s love for white features tells Hagar that she will never be enough; she finds out that he had never loved her and used her to gain fame around the town. Racism tells us that only white features are desirable; this destroys Hagar, driving the relationship between Milkman and Hagar apart.
Moreover, the lack of love for his family is also seen with Hagar, after she went mad since Milkman’s departure. She states, “He loves silky hair./Penny-colored hair./And lemon-colored skin./And gray-blue eyes./And a thin nose./He’s never going to like my hair” (Morrison 316).
This is seen when Morrison states, “[Milkman] hadn’t found them fit enough or good enough to want to know their names, and believed himself too good to tell them his. They looked at his skin and saw it was as black as theirs but they knew he had the heart of the white men...” (Morrison 267).
Racism perpetuates the idea that Black people aren’t allowed to be successful, so Milkman and his father fight against that by owning things, but they don’t realize that racism is also driving them to want white men’s approval of their success and wealth.
But he can't see that his sisters’ ( Lena and Corinthians) love language was taking care of Milkman. He focuses on the “love” (admiration, envy) received from those of the less fortunate. He follows in his father’s footsteps of gaining wealth--wanting approval (another kind of love) from white men.
She states that, “...everything in this house stopped for you…You are a sad, pitiful, stupid, selfish, hateful man” (Morrison 216). Throughout the story, Milkman felt that he deserved more love from others.
Let’s explore how this coming of age story demonstrates that racism is the root cause of Black people feeling like they don’t deserve love or that they aren’t able to accept love from others.
In the book, Lena criticizes Milkman harshly about his behavior.
There are many things that can drive a family apart, but have you heard that the weight of racism can drive a family apart too? Toni Morrison’s book, Song of Solomon, exemplifies this.
Ideas of white beauty standards are seen in "Sula" where young Black girls like Nel are indoctrinated at a young age to hate their own skin. They strive towards wanting to fit into white standards of beauty rather than loving themselves: a consequence of colorism. #SheSpeaks@vdotfdot.bsky.social
They oppress their own self-expression and find difficulty in accepting their own beauty, which are ideas especially prominent in darker-skinned POCs because of societal standards. Many are indoctrinated into thinking that light skin is the only acceptable color, leaving them feeling undesirable.
Hunter calls the inclusion of lighter-skinned models in ads “the illusion of inclusion” (Hunter 253). A company tricks one into thinking that they can/should obtain lighter-skin, further perpetuating the cycle of self-hatred. If whiteness is the standard of beauty, what about those who aren't white?
Even though Sula was published in 1973, the principle of “white is right” and the overall adherence to white beauty standards continues to prevail today. This cycle even benefits beauty companies! Next time you’re shopping, check if they're tricking you into fitting into the white beauty standard!
This is related to how Nel was treated better because of her light skin, as her complexion was seen as desirable. Why was it desirable? Hunter answers this for us by saying that light skin is associated with positive traits, and we also see this with how Nel is treated better in Morrison’s novel.
Going back to Margaret Hunter’s “The Consequences of Colorism”, we learn that "Beauty advertisements suggest that whiteness, and all the positive attributes associated with it, can be attained with the right cream, gel, or serum" (Hunter 253).
One could instill their place in society only if they adhered to the rules of white people, thus following the “white is right” principle. In order to be accepted by society, one is obligated to harass Black people since they are the minority and are subjected to racism and colorism.
Meanwhile, Irish people who moved to the area more recently were seen to be entertaining themselves by “harassing black schoolchildren” which they continued because their place “was secure only when they echoed the old [white] residents’ attitude towards blacks” (Morrison 53).
Morrison also included that if she were any lighter, she probably “needed either her mother’s protection... or a streak of mean to defend herself” (Morrison 52). These descriptions reject Black beauty, since Nel’s lighter skin tone allows her better treatment because of her complexion.
