Milkman’s Trauma And Identity Construction In Song Of Solomon

Song of Solomon is the first book in which Morrison makes a black male as the protagonist. Its publication establishes Morrison as one of the most respectable contemporary writers in America. Almost all main characters in this novel have traumatic experiences, which haunt their memory. Apart from the familial trauma they suffer, the novel also reflects the racial trauma the African Americans unconsciously undergo. This thesis tries to explore Milkman’s trauma and identity crisis in the light of trauma theory and to analyze his identity construction through trauma recovery. The first chapter explores the causes leading to Milkman’s trauma and its symptoms. The effects of trans-generational transmission of familial and racial trauma lead to Milkman’s own psychological trauma. Losing parental love, he is indifferent to others and always feels a sense of isolation and depression. The second chapter focuses on Milkman’s identity crisis caused by his psychological trauma. Isolated by both the blacks and the whites, and feeling a sense of rootlessness, Milkman is trapped in identity crisis. The third chapter analyzes how Milkman constructs his identity through trauma recovery. Through gaining a sense of trust to the out-world under the influence of Pilate, constructing the past and mourning for it, and contacting with people in his ancestors’hometown, Milkman recovers from his trauma, grows spiritually, and finally achieves his identity with his self-examination, affirmation of Afro-American identity and love for his people.Through these, Morrison suggests the way to settle the issue of identity loss the contemporary black youths face:remembering the historical trauma of the blacks, maintaining and inheriting black tradition, learning to love family and siblings, and integrating into the black community.