Characters
How does Milkman change from the beginning to the end of the novel?
He transforms from selfish and disconnected to understanding his heritage and gains empathy.
What is the first thing that happens that tells the reader this book will focus on flight?
Where was Milkman born and raised?
A city in Michigan.
What is something that many characters are searching for?
Freedom.
What technique does Morrison utilize to blend fantastical and realistic events?
Magical realism.
What does Milkman want at the start of the novel?
He seeks wealth and to escape his family.
What does Milkman gain from searching for the gold?
He discovers his ancestral family roots and history.
What southern town does Milkman travel to to trace down his family roots?
Shalimar, Virginia.
What does Milkman realize is important wants to discover more about?
His ancestry/family.
This occurs when the narrator is not omniscient and the reader experiences events through Milkman's understanding.
Why is Guitar a part of the Seven Days?
He wants revenge on the people who murdered Black American children.
Why was it so significant that Milkman met Pilate without his father knowing?
Milkman's father had kept him away from Pilate and never introduced him since she sold alcohol and acted in ways Macon did not approve.
Where does Milkman experience racial inequality for the first notable time?
The hunting grounds.
What is a theme that is present through Guitar's goals and actions against it?
Racial inequality.
Morrison uses this to show the importance of flight over and over again.
Repetition.
Why does Hagar attempt to kill Milkman?
She is angry that he does not love her back in the way that she wants. If she cannot have him, no one can.
What happened to Guitar's father?
He died in a work accident at the sawmill.
Since Pilate does not have electricity in her home, what else does she have? (Think relationships/emotions)
There is spiritual comfort in her home and warm stories.
What does Milkman experience as he begins to change and learn more?
Personal growth.
What genre would the novel be?
Historical fiction/Magical realism
What was Guitar's motivation to following Milkman in the end of the novel?
He believed he was stealing the gold and was angry that Milkman did not prioritize the same racial injustice that Guitar did.
Human bones.
What place does Milkman meet Circe?
The Butler mansion.
What is the most important theme of the entire novel?
Flight.
Using symbols and themes to express what will happen later on in the novel.
Foreshadowing.