Reflective Blog for Chapters 1-2

I started reading "Song of Solomon" a bit apprehensively because, quite frankly, I wasn't too thrilled about having to read magical realism. I'm still not quite appeased with this genre, but I'm not completely turned away from this particular book. It was exciting to hear of a man whose only purpose in life was to collect money from people who couldn't pay, shed away that life and reach for higher things...literally. I was quite shocked when Mr. Smith jumped off the hospital building with FAKE wings because I was so excited to see the magic aspect come into play, but alas, it was a letdown to see that the man's wings were not real and that he fell to his death. It was quite depressing.
Things seemed to stay monetary with a dreary tone: a family had to suffer both physical and verbal abuse from a husband and father, the town's excitement came by way of juicy gossip... It was quite frustrating because it took me two whole hours to read two chapters of the same tone.
UNTIL I found out that the mother, Ruth Dead, was breast feeding her son well past infancy. I had to wonder if this woman was right in her head. I thought that the nickname "Milkman" was quite harsh because it wasn't his fault that his mother was seeking solace in something she thought she had control over: her baby boy growing up.
Another random thing that peeved me was that one of the daughters of Macon Dead Jr. is named Magdalene, and is introduced, literally, as "Magdalene called Lena." This retarded thing is that they actually NEVER call her Lena.
Back to the actual events: I think that the overall character of Macon Jr. is that of a pig. I mean, his wife sets out new flowers on the table, and all he does is criticize her food. He bans their kids from seeing a sister without a plausible reason, he won't give a break to an old woman who is forced to take care of her daughter's kids and can't make the rent, and then he would let a man kill himself just as long as he got his money. It's infuriating.
What I don't understand is why is Pilate such a threat to Macon? He calls her unkempt and inappropriate when, in reality, she never drinks the wine she sells, and though she is unkempt, is a fairly clean woman.
Another thing I question is whether or not the man with wings (Mr. Robert Smith) is a catalyst? I mean, there has got to be a greater purpose for this man other than coincidently jumping off the roof of the same hospital that Milkman is born in. Is he going to show up again in the story as a ghost, like Pilate and Macon's father? I think perhaps he might.
There has been no reference to the title yet, and it's starting to annoy me. I don't even know what the book is about and the title is just adding to the mystery.