Milkman and Guitars Conflict - Essay Example

Milkman and Guitar’s Conflict Introduction Milkman is the central man in the story song of Solomon. He brings together all the other characters and is central to all their activities. Milkman is from a wealthy background as his father is an aristocratic businessman. His father has made money he has properties and they live like white people during the black oppression period. This privileged background has shaped milkman and his outlook in life. Moreover, this wealthy background has defined his character traits as a human being. On the other hand, guitar is a poor man from a poor background. Furthermore, he does not have a complete family like milkman. This is because his father died in a sawmill accident and his mother also died leaving them with their grandmother. Guitars grandmother is also very poor and even at one time in the book, she is unable to pay her rent and she is thrown out in the streets by milkman father because they lived in his rental houses. Guitars poverty ridden background makes him loathe people with money and is bitter towards them especially if they are black, a common hatred shared by other blacks. Moreover, when guitars dad died in the sawmill accident where a sawmill cut him into half, the white man gave guitar’s mother 40 dollars as compensation. He also gave guitar and the other children sweets. These experiences have made guitar to hate the white man and all the injustice they do to black people. Ironically, milkman and guitar are friends even though they come from two different backgrounds. This essay paper is going to discuss the conflict between milkman and guitar although they were friends. In addition, this a paper is going to discuss the conflict resolution between the two friends. Conflict Before the conflict, guitar and milkman enjoy life together more so because milkman has money to spend. They spend money on women prostitutes and enjoy the good life of partying. In fact guitar is responsible for teaching milkman the ways of the world. Guitar is a tyrant who skips going to school and instead take his friend to parties. Milkman being a wealthy man is soon absorbed in this world of fantasy that he does not care about anything. Although they are enjoying the fun things of life guitar still holds the bitterness he ahs towards the white people and cannot hold it anymore. This where the conflict begin and flourish. Milkman and guitar conflict begins when the two suddenly seem to drift apart. They begin to see life in very different attitudes. First, the conflict begins when guitar sees that milkman is rich and spends money anyhow yet he only wants money so that he can feed his family that is his nieces and nephew and his uncle. In addition, conflict is also seen between the friends based on racial issues. Guitar is slowly developing a black power mentality and wants to fight for the black people. This sees him join the seven days black people movement. On the other hand, milkman is seemingly unconcerned with race issues or the black oppression. This is a thing that was embedded in his mind from an early age due to the wealthy background he hails from. Therefore this money keeps him from socializing with people thus he is very disconnected and dose not know the pain and suffering the black people are going through. For example when guitar tells him of the plight of black people using an example of the boy till, milkman says, “…fuck till…” (Morrison, 152) Guitar feels that milkman is a womanizer and uses women and that he should stop. A tender, soft and loving side of guitar is revealed in the way he treats Hagar. He is the one who comforts her when milkman abandons her. In fact he takes her home when he finds her sobbing in his house with a knife in his hand. She had tied to kill milkman because of all the pain he is causing her. Guitar talks to milkman who does not listen. This makes them grow even further apart since guitar has stopped his partying ways. These conflicts get even rife when guitar thinks that milkman is trying to swindle him of his gold. He is so obsessed with the gold and with his growing hatred of milkman he decides to kill him on more than one occasion. The conflict goes on and is evidenced in guitars ironically talks. It is as if he mocks milkman every time they talk. For example he says, “I live in the north now. So the first question comes to mind is north of what? Why? North of south. So north exists because south does. But does that mean north is different than south? No way south is just south of north…” (Morrison, 257). This guitar tells milkman when milkman says that people of the south are uncultured and boring. Guitar knows the people of the south are black people and this makes guitar angry. Resolution Milkman and guitar’s conflict is not ultimately solved in a conventional way. But fortunately, guitars attempts to kill milkman serves a greater purpose in milkman’s life. During one episode where guitar followed milkman to Shalimar in the south and tries to strangle him with a wire cord in the forest, milkman dose not die. He in fact wakes up a changed man after experiencing near death. This is like a rebirth to him and he wakes up a transformed man who resolves to change his life for the better. He does this by shedding his fancy lifestyle and clothes and dress like common people. He also changes his ways and attitude towards women and is seen bathing a prostitute called sweet. He even scrubs her bath and gives her some money. However, guitar is still not convinced of milkman’s change because he believes milkman cannot help anybody in his life. He still believes milkman is just cheating to him even after milkman spars his life in the forest. He still plans to kill him. Guitar’s hatred for milkman ends up killing Pilate instead of milkman because he hides in a town in Shalimar waiting for milkman and then fires his gun only to shoot Pilate instead of milkman. Milkman leaps to him in the frenzy and it all calms down. The ending of their conflict is full of suspense. It is not known whether the two kill each other or what happens when milkman leaps to guitar after killing his aunt. Conclusion Although the two characters, milkman and guitar, come from very different backgrounds they share a love for each other that is somewhat brotherly. Milkman is wealthy while guitar is poor. Guitar teaches milkman the ways of the world like going to pool halls and parties. They enjoy life together and party with women and have fun. In the midst of this entire fun guitar who hates black people because of what he sees as black oppression decides to do something about the situation. On the other hand, milkman dose not see why guitar is bothered by such issues while they should be enjoying life as usual. This unconcerned nature of milkman significantly enhanced by his wealthy background cause the drift between them. Guitar joins a black people movement the seven days and fights for black people’s rights. In the course of all this they differ with milkman in almost every issue from racial issue to milkman’s womanizing and partying ways. Guitar hates milkman and tries to kill him. This anger if fuelled by guitars feeling of being swindled by milkman of his gold. He tries to strangle milkman but dose not succeed. He waits for him in Shalimar and shoots him only to accidentally kill milkman’s aunt Pilate. Thus their conflict is not ultimately solved as it is left in suspense. Work Cited Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. , 2014. Print. Read More