Flight in Song Of Solomon

By :
Randa BOUBAKRI
Abir ARBI
Oumaima CHOUCHENE
 The Outline
I . EPIGRAPH

II . The Function of Mythology in Song of Solomon.

III. The Motif of “Flight” in the Folktales of the “Flying Africans”

1. “Flight” as a Communal Escape in “People who could fly” VS “Flight” as
a Solitary Escape in Toni Morrison’s Updated Version
2:”Flight” and search for Identity

III. The Motif of “Flight” in Song of Solomon

1 :Robert Smith’s leap .
2 :Milkman’ Flight
3 :Pilate, the Pilot

IV : Conclusion
2
V : Bibliography
“ EPIGRAPH

The fathers may soar

And the children
may know their
names.
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 EPIGRAPH
• Morrison’s epigraph introduces the myth of flight
that surrounds the men in the Dead family,
begining with Solomon, the flying African.
It is the first reference to one of the novel’s
most important themes. While flight can be an
escape from constricting circumstances, it also
scars those who are left behind.

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“..The fathers may soar , they may triumph , they
may leave , but the children know who they are ;
they remember , half in glory and half in
accusation. That is one of the points of ‘song': all
the men have left someone, and it is the children
who remember it ,sing about it, mythologize it,
make it part of their family history “

In 1977,256 of the New York edition :Talk with Toni Morrison

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The Function Of Mythology in Song of Solomon

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 Flight in Ancient Mythology

▪ The mythology of many cultures abounds with gods and kings borne
through the air; the power of flight was often attributed to gods
▪ Allegorical figures and fantastic creatures representing flight abound and
frequently take the form of flying beasts or human figures equipped with
wings
▪ Myths and legends have played an important part in man’s conquest of
the air; if he could fly, man would escape the troubles of earth, be free as
a bird and be closer to the gods.
▪ The intensity of ancient man’s desire to fly can be found in many
philatelic reproductions.
▪ Toni Morrison does not merely want to combine a traditional folktale with
a novel – she rather wants to renew the tale. It is her aim to infuse it with
“new information”[4] and to transmit this mixture of tradition and modern
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age to succeeding generations.
From Babylonian mythology we have the story
of Etana, who flies on a giant eagle:

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One of the earliest preserved records of flight is in a
Babylonian set of laws Halkatha, which contains the
passage: "To operate a flying machine is a great privilege.
Knowledge of flying is most ancient, a gift from the gods
of old for saving lives". The Babylonian "Epic of Etana"
describing his prehistoric flight is preserved for us in a
fragmentary text and cuneiform dating back to a period
between 3,000 and 2,400 B.C.

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Icarus and Daedalus

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 Daedalus was a famous architect, inventor, and master craftsman. He worked
for King Minos of Crete and built the labyrinth in which the monstrous
Minotaur was imprisoned. Incurring the King’s displeasure, Daedalus and his
son Icarus were jailed in the labyrinth. As Minos controlled the sea around
Crete, Daedalus realized that the only way to escape was by air and built wings
for him and Icarus, fashioned with feathers held together with wax. They
successfully flew from Crete, but Icarus grew exhilarated by the thrill of flying
and soared too close to the sun god Helios; the wax holding together his wings
melted from the heat and he fell to his death, drowning in the sea. Daedalus’
flight long has stood as a symbol of safety, success and progress in flight. But
flying was also for the gods; Icarus, a mortal, should not have tried and was
punished for his arrogance.

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“
▪ Manuela L. Ramirez
asserts that:
‘‘In Song of Solomon, Toni
Morrison rewrites the myth of the
flying Africans and the myth of
Icarus to create her own myth. Her
Icarus engages on an arch typical
journey to the south, to his family
past, led by his Daedalic guide, on
which he finally recovers his
ancestral ability to fly. His flight
signals a spiritual epiphany in the
hero’s quest for self-definition in 12

the black community’’

 Song of Solomon is a mythopoesis: Morrison rescues
elements from Greek mythology and fuses them with
allusions to African American culture and folklore .

‘‘I will take off from Mercy and fly away on my own wings’’ (3).

•Mr Smith leaps from the roof of Mercy hospital using blue silk
wings as he falls Icarus- like to his death.

•Icarus and Daedalus: Milkman and Pilate (a larger than life

character) must embark together on a final journey to fulfill
their fate: she guided him beyond the peacock plumage of
materialism.
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 Virginia Hamilton :

“ « The myth is one

of hope and
redemption in the
African American
literature and
spirit. »
« People Could Fly »

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15
T ▪ “Flight” in the traditional tales is Julius
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“
Lester‘s narration “People who could fly” :A
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 ▪ “Flight” as a Solitary Escape in Toni
Morrison’s Updated Version

“▪  In the traditional version, “flight” is a symbol of freedom

and of a communal escape from mistreatment.
▪ In Song of Solomon, however, Solomon’s “flight”
is an act of abandonment.

▪ It symbolizes an individualistic escape from slavery, and

in particular from social responsibility.
▪ Milkman’s search for his ancestors will reveal that
Solomon’s flight was not an heroic act, but rather an
evidence of selfishness and of an “apparent absence […]
of an accompanying sense of social responsibility”. 13

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“
▪ The farewell chant sung
to Mr. Smith

‘‘O Sugarman done fly away

Sugarman done gone
Sugarman cut across the sky
Sugarman gone home…’’ (6)

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 “Flight” and search for
Identity .
“  Their quest for individual identity
revolves around the metaphor of
flight since it bears of the
contradictions inherent in the legend
of Flying Africans and the ability of
men to rise above their limitations or
limitations imposed upon them by
society which stem from racism,
sexism, classism and other forms of
oppression.
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FLIGHT AS A MOTIF:
• Flight is used as a literal and metaphorical symbol of
escape.
• Each individual character that chooses to fly in the
novel is either « flying » away from a hardship or a
seemingly impossible situation.
• While the male characters, who achieve « flight » do so
by abandoning their female partners, the female
characters in contradiciton master flight without
abandoning.
• Flying is a central, symbolic element that reverberates
throught the novel.
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Robert smith’s leap
“ At 3:00 p.m on Wednesday the 18th of
february, 1931 I will take off from mercy and
fly away on my own wings. Please forgive
me. I loved you all.”

▪Robert smith is clearly planning to kill

himself by jumping off of the Mercy
Hospital building.
▪The insurance man does not want it to be
understood as a simple desperate act, the
end of a fruitless life, a life without
examination, but as a deep commitment 21
to his people.
Robert smith’s leap
« They didn’t know he had it in
him. »

▪The note Robert Smith leaves

asks for forgiveness. It is tackled
on his door as a modest invitation
to who-ever might pass by.
▪In Robert Smith’s jump, he was
mirroring something that his
ancestors attempted.
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MILKMAN’S FLIGHT

▪Once Milkman started his journey

back to his roots, he showed empathy
and compassion towards his own
people.
▪His presence at home + surroundings
prevented Milkman from undergoing
real growth.
▪Milkman embarks upon a journey of
exploration, initially for the gold.
▪His quest eventually morphs into an
exploration of identity, family and
name.
«The novel is anchored in
Milkman’s physical journey from
alienation and estrangement to his
discovery of himself and his
cultural identity. »
--Guy Chandler
MILKMAN’S FLIGHT

▪Milkman’s flight left his loved one

abandonned = This had the same
significance with Solomon’s release.
▪“ He leapt, he took flight in order to
return to Africa”
▪Only when milkman started to believe in
the reality of flight, does he cease to feel
alienated from his family/community.
▪The leap that he takes at the end of the
book symbolizes his resurrection after his
lifelong death and his freedom from self-
imposed slavery.
« He learns first
hand what
Solomon first
knew ‘If you
surrendered to the
air, you could ride
it ‘ »

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FLIGHT OF YOUNG PILATE AND MACON

▪After Pilate and Macon’s dad died, they had no choice but to
escape in rural Pennsylvania.

▪They part ways, and both have enlightening life experiences when
fleeing from their former home.

▪Their respective flights both shapes their lives and their values.

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PILATE’S FLIGHT

‘You just can’t fly off and leave a body’

( 336).
‘she’d come to his rescue immediately..
Without ever leaving the ground, she
could fly’ ( 336-340)
▪Pilate knows she has the power to
liberate herself but refuses to in order
to take care of the people she loves.
‘’ If I’d a knowed more, I would a loved
more.” ( 336)
▪ Pilate is the pilot of her own
flight.
PILATE’S FLIGHT

▪Pilate has always been able

to fly without leaving anyone
behind.
▪Pilate is the pilot of her own
flight.
▪Pilate could not achieve true
flight until she could relieve
herself from the burden of
burying the sack of her
father’s bones.
Let’s Conclude!

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 WORKS CITED

▪ http://commonplaces.davidson.edu/vol-3/song-of-solomon-the-language-of-flight/
▪ https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/11/archives/talk-with-toni-morrison.html
▪ https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/williamroby.html
▪ https://www.grin.com/document/32351?fbclid=IwAR0XSJECsBoWRU1Oa9ZIXZ9GvN
_Be88GDI927WDU9MMgiPKyJ2NhPKSP7sw
▪ https://www.shmoop.com/song-of-solomon/flying-symbol.html
▪ https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/solomon/themes/
▪ https://www.grin.com/document/32351
▪ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pegasus
▪ https://www.icao.int/secretariat/PostalHistory/aviation_history_the_mythology.htm
▪ http://www.ancient-wisdom.com/flight.htm
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