If you surrender to the air, you could ride it

"The fathers may soar

And the children may know their names"

From the epigraph of Song of Solomon, we can tell that flying is a major theme in Song of Solomon. The theme of flying shows up immediately at the beginning of the novel when Mr. Smith takes flight from Mercy hospitals and shows up at the very end of the book with the statement, "If you surrender to the air, you could ride it" (363).  Milkman's life starts with a man "flying" from Mercy hospital, his childhood dream was to fly, and the novel (and possibly Milkman's life) ends with him taking flight. Looking back at the novel with the framework of the hero's journey, Milkman's journey has helped him learn how to fly. He starts his journey in a state similar to the white peacock, too weighed down by jewelry to fly. Similarly, Milkman is weighed down by his lack of initiative, his father's shadow, and basic lack of human empathy. But what does flying mean to Milkman? 

 

Flying conveys independence and Milkman's desire to travel away from his home and crazy family. and we certainly see Milkman become more independent during his journey. Milkman is on his own, far away from the help of his family and friends as he goes on a quest for gold. On the flip side, just as Jake left Ryna behind when he took flight, Milkman also leaves people (usually female) behind. Hagar was collateral damage to Milkman's journey. By risking his life in the fight with Guitar, he also risks leaving his mother and Reba behind on their own. As a result, flight is viewed different from the perspective of each gender. For Milkman and most men, flight signifies independence and transcendence. For the women left behind, such as Ryna and Hagar, flight signifies abandonment from a lover or male relative.   

Milkman also develops as a person throughout his journey and recognizes the help he received from the women in his life. By the end of his journey Milkman reflects on his treatment of Hagar and realizes how much of a jerk he was. He recognizes how much of a jerk move stealing the gold from Hagar was and recognizes how his father's love for material possessions is a result of his love for Macon Dead I. Which made me wonder whether this transformation can be traced back to the theme of flight. Which led me to think about the last line of Song of Solomon, "If you surrender to the air, you could ride it" again (363). Morrison uses the word ride instead of fly in this line which I thought was an interesting choice. To me flying seems like a pretty independent action. Just as in the beginning scene Mr. Smith mentioned how he would "fly away on his own wings" (9). Flying seems like an action you do without help from anyone else. However, in the final scene Milkman doesn't "fly away on his own wings" but instead he "surrenders to the air" and "rides it". Surrendering and riding the air suggest dependence on the air at least. After all, if there's no air you can't ride it. Perhaps we can connect this to the idea of Milkman becoming independent but also becoming more aware of the help he received from the women in his life.

Note: The paginations in my copy of Song of Solomon are a little wonky so the page numbers might be different. All my quotes are from the first and last pages of the book though, if you wanted to reference them.