A short paragraph on Morrisonās essay Rootedness

- Pages: 2
- Word count: 318
- Category: Novel
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Order NowMorrison in her essay āRootednessā emphasises the importance of the ancestral myth, she writes bluntly, āwhen you kill the ancestor you kill yourself.ā This is certainly true for Macon Dead in Song of Solomon. Macon has rejected his heritage for materialism and as a result remains a most discontented man despite the wealth produced by his materialistic values. Maconās unhappiness with his materialistic life is seen in the novel when he āturned his back and walked slowly towards Pilateās houseā where he feels the āirritability of the day drain away from himā. However Macon does not will himself to change and thus continues his bitter life. Milkman on the other hand perseveres because he rejects the materialistic values injected upon him by his father when he embraces his personal and ancestral past this in turn permits him to connect with his community and allows him to truly live.
There are many instances in Morrisonās novel āsong of Solomonā where events are not made unambiguous. One example is when Macon invites relieves the memory of his wifeās āmouth on the dead manās fingerāsā. From Maconās tone the readerās are forced to associate this image with something of a sexual nature despite never being told that Ruth was indeed engaged in such an act. Morrison in her essay āRootednessā explained that in order to fulfil her aim of giving the story a more oral feel she had to āprovide the places and spaces so that the reader can participateā,. Thus when describing intimate scenes such as Macon recollection of his lovemaking with his wife, and Milkman and his intimacy with Sweet, she intended the reader to ābring his own sexuality in the sceneā and consequently interacting in āa very personal wayā. Thus the readerās have been given the chance by Morrison to āparticipateā by building their own perception of what actually happened between Ruth and her father.