Active Blog for Chapters 13-14

Plot Summary:
Chapter thirteen opens with the continuation of the scene when Milkman leaves her with a very nasty comment and then deserts her. Guitar comes back to his house to pick up the pieces of her already broken heart. Though he gives her good advise, she stays in a comatose state until she "realizes" that Milkman must not love her because she's dirty. She splurges all of her mother and grandmother's money on clothes and makeup and jewelry and such trifle items in order to spark back Milkman's love. She goes out in the rain because she was looking for something to do until her hair appointment: her bags fall apart and all of her stuff gets ruined. It seems as though this was a foreshadowing element because about everything that could go wrong in her life did go wrong. She goes home and wallows in her depressed state. It is revealed that Hagar kills herself because she did not get the love that she needed from Milkman. Macon gives Ruth forty dollars for the funeral where Pilate basically demands justice from Milkman who essential caused her baby girl's death.
Chapter fourteen transitions from Hagar and Pilate's view back to Milkman who is back at his grandmother's relatives house. He comes back because he heard Solomon's Song (title reference!) and he thinks Susan Byrd is not telling all that she knows. His intuition is correct because she was keeping what she knew quiet because Ms. Grace who was over is a gossip and her information is scandalous. Susan tells Milkman thinks that confirmed his suspicions: Sining Bird's (Sing Byrd's) mother took in Jake because his father had dropped him while he was flying back to Africa. He was the only son of twenty that Solomon tried to take with him. Ryna, Solomon's wife, was in mourning for days in which she's wail for days. The gulch in the town is named Ryna's Gulch because when the wind blows through it makes a wailing noise. Milkman seems to have a sort of peace about him because he finally realizes that he actually knows his history.

Themes: One major theme that is seen in chapter thirteen is one of knowing who you are so that you don't have to rely on others to affirm you. Hagar did the opposite of this and ended up killing herself. Chapter fourteen is about self-discovery through familial history.

Magical Realism: There does not seem to be any magical realism in chapter thirteen. In chapter fourteen, however, Solomon actually flies away to Africa. He tries to take Milkman's grandfather, Jake, with him but drops him accidentally.

Quotes for Chapter 13, pg 309: "Did you ever see the way the clouds the mountain? They circle all around it; sometimes you can't see the mountain for the clouds. But you know what? You go up top and what do you see? His head. The clouds never cover his head...They let him keep his head up high, free, with nothing to hide him or bind him." This is a very pretty analogy to the way a prefect love should be. One that can be seen as a single entity, but it not being to close that they become a monotonous person with one brain. People should have their own unique identity.

Quotes for Chapter 13, pg 312: "Look at how I look. I look awful. No wonder he doesn't want me. I look terrible." I hate this. I hate how this is how Milkman made her feel: worthless. I wanted to slap him very hard when I read this.

Quotes for Chapter 14, pg 324: "Everybody kept changing right in front of him." There didn't seem to be one stable person in Milkman's life who stayed true and stable and the same. I can empathize with him.

Quotes for Chapter 14, page 328: "It's a wonder anybody knows who anybody is." This is a reinforcer of the quote above because through the good and bad people have to change. It makes perfect sense to adapt when things change but when that happens it is inevitable that people change.

Character Changes:
Milkman- he stays the same throughout the fourteenth chapter.
Pilate-goes from loving and caring for Milkman like her own son but when he inevitably causes the death of Hagar, she wants justice from him.
Reba- she changes when she actually goes and tries to win things when before she'd win without trying. Suffice to say her "magic" does not work this time.
Macon Dead-he changes a little bit when he shows pity for his niece and gives Ruth money for Hagar's funeral.
Hagar- she kills herself because Milkman doesn't love her.
Guitar- shows a softness towards Hagar that he really hasn't shown to women, or men for that matter.