Song of Solomon: Genre 1 key example

Most epic narratives focus on a physical journey from one location to another, and it is throughout this journey that character growth tends to take place. While Song of Solomon does feature Milkman’s physical odyssey, it is in fact more focused on the psychic elements of Milkman’s progress. As Milkman looks deeper into his family history, he discovers that it is replete with suffering and contradiction. So far deprived in life of the intimate family knowledge so many receive without question, Milkman works hard to uncover the truth, hoping it will reveal something about his own inscrutable psychology. 

Milkman’s epic psychological coming-of-age story is paralleled by a distinct lack of growth or change in other characters. Ruth, for example, is equally fixated on her childhood, but not as a site of growth or knowledge. For Ruth, childhood is an emblem of stagnancy, a location in which she remains mired. Milkman uses his childhood deprivation to learn about himself and his family, compared to Ruth, who clings to childhood as an excuse to refrain from deepening her knowledge or understanding of the world.