Hagar's Chapter
One chapter of Song of Solomon that really stood out to me was the chapter where Hagar is so devastated over Milkman that she has a breakdown and becomes obsessed with her appearance. I think the scene where Hagar is struggling through the rain trying to pick up all her new clothes is one of the saddest in the whole book. She says she hadn’t even noticed it was raining until her new clothes fell out of the bag, and then,“she put down both bags, picked the skirt up and brushed the crumbs of gravel that stuck to it. Quickly she refolded it, but when she tried to tuck it back into the shopping bag, the bag collapsed altogether. Rain soaked her hair and poured down her neck as she stopped to repair the damage… She had gone hardly ten yards when the bottom fell out of it. Hagar tripped on Jungle Red (Sculptura) and Youth Blend, and to her great dismay, saw her box of Sunny Glow toppling into a puddle” (Morrison 313). Like many of the other women in the book, all Hagar really wants is love. So when she suddenly loses Milkman’s love, she’s not able to recover from the shock. Hagar desperately trying to hold onto her possessions seems like a metaphor for her desperately clinging onto Milkman’s love. If she wasn’t so dependent on his love, she Just like when Milkman broke up with her, the first bag breaking sends her into a spiral that she’s never able to recover from.
Another part of the chapter that was interesting to me was Guitar’s speech to Hagar. I think it shows the differences in how men and women in the book view love. Guitar seeing Hagar so distressed doesn’t make him mad at Milkman for leaving her, it makes him mad at Hagar for loving him. He says, “the pride, the conceit of these doormat women amazed him. They were always women who had been spoiled children. Whose whims had been taken seriously by adults and who grew up to be the stingiest, greediest people on earth and out of their stinginess grew their stingy little love that ate everything in sight” (Morrison 306). Guitar sees intense love as selfishness, when in reality it’s selflessness. It reminds me of Ruth’s message to Milkman when he criticizes her for breastfeeding him. “Now you tell me. What harm did I do you on my knees? (Morrison 126). Love is seen as a weakness among the men in the book because they’re the ones who want to fly and be free from all responsibility. The women can not give up their love as easily because it’s what’s holding their families together.
Overall I think this was an interesting chapter and it really made me feel for Hagar. It also made me dislike Guitar even more than I already did, which I didn’t think was possible.
I agree that men in this book don't seem to understand the toll of neglect and abandonment. I felt that Hagar's chapter reflected how Ryna must have felt after Solomon flew away. While the men seek some kind of escape, they forget about the women they leave behind. The way Guitar frames Hagar is really interesting. He compares her to his own sisters, essentially saying (in my interpretation) that Hagar was treated with more compassion as a child and grew to expect it. Overall, Morrison makes a point that flying away isn't all good, that there are important connections that bind us to the ground, and consequences when we break them.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that Hagar's chapters brings up issues of abandonment when the men fly. I also think it's telling that Guitar classifies Hagar's feelings as "stingy little love" when she is obviously giving up her whole being to get Milkman back. This pain may have been avoided if Milkman hadn't abandoned her the way he did. I think its interesting that Milkman and Hagar, like Ryna and Solomon, have such conflicting interests. Hagar and Ryna are deeply attached while Solomon and Milkman long to fly away.
ReplyDeleteThis chapter was heartbreaking to me! Firstly, I thought it was interesting that Guitar views Hagar's intense love as selfish, since also has a strong sense of passion and loves that drives him in the Seven Days. I think this scene made me feel more empathetic towards Hagar. At first, I viewed her as a little crazy for loving Milkman so intensely and attempting to kill him. However, the scene gave readers more of her perspective and understanding of the pain that Milkman leaving caused. I also think Pilate and Reba's interaction with Hagar were meaningful, as they had so much love for her but all she could focus on was someone who doesn't love her at all.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I felt really depressed reading that chapter. I think only reading about their relationship from Milkman's eyes made Hagar seem crazy but this chapter made me rethink all of that. The rain scene and when she was desperately putting makeup on really reflected Hagar's anxiety and the moment she "breaks". I also think it is very interesting how the men and women look at love in the book. The men don't really think from their point of view.
ReplyDeleteThis scene was one of the most impactful scenes for me out of the entire novel. I could really see Hagar's raw emotions and I think that Morrison did a great job capturing her desperation. I thought your analysis of how the men and women view love differently was really interesting to me, as I had never analyzed it in that way before but your points make a lot of sense. Great post!
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