Active Reading Blog for Chapters 11-13

Plot Summary:
In chapter thirteen, Milkman goes out on his odyssey-like journey to find his aunt's treasure/inheritance. In the last chapter his had found out that the town of Danville did not hold the treasure that he had been searching for. He sets out for Virginia where he thinks Pilate may have stashed the gold. The town of Shalimar is where he sets off with nothing except his wallet and his watch that doesn't work. He stops at a gas station type of institution in Shalimar where a man named Mr. Solomon reaffirms Milkman that he is in "Shaleemon" (sounds kind of like Solomon). There was a message from Guitar that said "your Day has come," which he said because he believes Milkman had stolen the gold and sent it to the town for his own benefit. He thought Milkman did not want to share the gold. Milkman's car had broken down in front of the gas station and he goes outside to think about the message. When he comes back inside, the men pick a fight with him because Milkman had the money to buy a brand new car when they could not, he had wanted to "use" their pretty women, and his whole aura put out that he was better than they were. He gets cut up and the old men out on the porch invited him to go hunting with them, to which he agreed to do. As they went hunting, he got tired because of his knife injuries from the fight and he had to stop. He leaned against the tree and after a while sensed a threatening presence by him: it was Guitar. He started to strangle Milkman but at the last second, Milkman gave in, which woke Guitar up to his merciful side and he let Milkman live. He made his way back to the hunters who had caught a bobcat: they slaughtered it and cut it up; Milkman got the heart out of the cat with his bear hands (which must symbolize something). After they took the bobcat apart (ew) they sent Milkman to Sweet, a prostitute lady.
Chpater twelve was about the realization that Milklman's past was really important to him: it defines him. He finds out that he has relatives in the area and he goes to inquire about his ancestors. A woman named Susan Byrd tells him that there wasn't really any connection between Sing Byrd and his grandmother, also named Sing. This was in part due to the fact
that a gossip lady named Grace was there and she would have blabbed everything. Anyway, he leaves the house and finds Guitar leaning against the pole in a very aggressive position. He tells Milkman that he was mad that he had taken the gold for himself, when in reality he was just helping a white man with lifting a heavy box (which isn't like MM because he's very lazy). He goes back to the town and hears children singing a different version of the song that Pilate sang: Solomon instead of Sugarman (Title Reference!). He makes connections within the song about his ancestors: his grandfather's name was Solomon, his grandfather Jake, and his grandmother Singing Bird.
Chapter thirteen opens with a change in character focus: it switches to Hagar, how she has just been left by MM when she last held the knife over his head and he had very hurtful things to her. She becomes almost comatose with the shock of really losing him. She comes out of it when she realizes that he must not love her because she's ugly. She gets Reba and Pilate to spend their time and strength making her cleans and pawning Reba's ring for only a fifth of its worth to buy her clothes he'd never get to see her in. She kills herself from the depression. The town takes u p collection for her funeral because Pilate and Ruth had no money: Macon gives forty dollars, a gesture most unlike him. Pilate vows to kill MM for killing her baby.



Quotes for Chapter 11, pg 282: "'Your Day has come,' and it filled him with such sadness to be dying, leaving the world at the fingertips of his friend, that he realized and in the instant it took to surrender to the overwhelming melancholy he felt the cords of his struggle neck muscles relax too and there was a piece of a second in which the wire left him room to gasp, to take another breath. But it was a living breath, not a dying one ." I like this quote because it shows how MM was ready to surrender his life to his friend. He relaxed was was ready to die, but because he was ready, that was enough reason not to die.

Quotes for Chapter 11, pg 284: "Scared to death,' said Milkman." MM had just survived an attempt on his life and instead of replying that he was perfectly fine to the other men, he replied that he was scared. His character changed because he believed he could still be scared and remain masculine. Strength comes in many forms.

Quotes for Chapter 12, pg 306: "Jake the only son of Solomon...Whiled about and touched the sun...Left that baby in a white man;s house...Heddy took him to a red man's house...Black lazy fell down on the ground...Threw her body all around...Solomon and Ryna Belali Shalut...Nestor Kalina Saraka cake...Twenty-one children, the last one Jake!......" I love this song. It tells the whole history of MM's past, his ancestors, his unexplainable history.

Quotes for Chapter 12, pg 308:" Milkman was getting confused, but he was as excited as a child confronted with boxes and boxes off presents under the skirt f a Christmas tree. Somewhere in the pile was a gift for him." This quote stood out to me because it was a very nicely put was to explain the way Milkman was thinking about his family's past: it was a present for him to unwrap and cherish.

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.