While the white peacock in chapter 8 seems very random, it symbolizes both Macon's and Milkman’s personalities. The peacock is described as strutting around. Milkman often tries to strut around and show off. He tries to look heroic when hitting his dad to protect his mom, even though he often expresses how little he really cares about her. Macon also “struts around” in his car at the beginning of the book. He drives around with the intention of showing off to the community. Peacocks are often associated with vanity and arrogance, something that even Guitar points out. He says “All that jewelry weights it down. Like vanity. Can’t nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you got to give up the shit that weighs you down” (Morrison 179). It’s no secret that Macon Dead is vain and arrogant. He often shows off his wealth and takes pride in being better than others. He seems to pass on his arrogance to Milkman as well. Milkman is much more ignorant though, and he struggles with realizing his privilege. Milkman often paints himself as the victim instead of acknowledging that he is better off than others around him. When he is faced with judgment after showing off his privilege, he thinks about how unfair life is for him and how he doesn’t deserve any judgment just for having money. Guitar says that to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down. Both Macon's and Milkman’s vanity weighs them down. Milkman’s vanity prevents him from getting along with others, like in chapter 11 when he ends up in a fight after coming off as arrogant. Macon’s vanity prevents him from having a relationship with his sister. He is too concerned about his image and some gold from decades ago to heal his relationship with Pilate. Although Milkman seems to be making some progress so far, Macon is stuck in his ways.
The peacock in the book is specifically a white peacock. White peacocks symbolize Jesus Christ, spirituality, and awakening. The color of the peacock is an interesting addition, and it further adds to the religious aspects of the book. I think the white peacock can also be seen as a foreshadowing of Milkman becoming more aware of his arrogance, and trying to get rid of his vanity. Although awakenings are associated more with religion, it can also just mean a realization of some sort. I think the white peacock hints at Milkman realizing his privilege and arrogance and attempting to fix it. Right before Milkman’s fight with Saul, he thinks “He hadn’t found them fit enough or good enough to want to know their names, and believed himself too good to tell them his” (Morrison 266). Milkman has some realizations in this chapter, and although he often regresses back into his old pattern of thought, he seems to make a lot of emotional progress.
I also wrote about the white peacock in my blog post! I never really thought of Milkman as painting himself to be a victim, but that does make sense looking back on the book. He tends to always blame others instead of himself. I had a few other theories about the peacock. It was described to be on the top of a building, just like the man at the beginning of the book; in this way, the hunt for gold represented a new beginning for Milkman. Peacock feathers are also considered bad luck in some cultures, and the fact that the peacock spread his tails at the end of the scene could foreshadow the unluckiness Milkman faces while looking for the gold.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your post! I also wonder how Guitar fits into this as he is also present in this scene. It is possible that Guitar has let go of all his vanity, however I think it is also possible that the peacock is criticizing him too. His pride in his work in the Seven Days could possibly be compared to Milkman’s pride in hitting his father except that Guitar’s work has more consequence. Still, Guitar does seem to take great pride in how dedicated he is to his organization and in some ways that limits him to the violence of the Seven Days, taking away his ability to really make decisions himself.
ReplyDeleteThe white peacock is a pretty specific detail that is easy to overlook. However, the fact that it symbolizes Milkman's arrogance and journey to recognizing his vanity makes his self-discovery more valuable. The presence of the peacock along his journey also brings a mythical aspect. I wonder if there are any other mythical details that Toni Morrison added throughout the novel. This is an insightful post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for including the photo--most of us have some general idea of what a male peacock looks like, even if we probably picture the teal/blue/green variety, but this image really drives home just what a surreal sight this bird would have been, just appearing out of nowhere in a dingy industrial district on the roof of a used-car lot. And it's also easy to see how, as Milkman puts it, his flying would be "jive."
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