Essay on African-American American Nightmare in Song of...

American Dream or African-American American Nightmare The Declaration of Independence was written so Americans could achieve this dream, but the African slave was never intended to be a part of this American Dream. To the African-American, there were and still are many restrictions that go along with the American Dream. In Toni Morrisons novel, Song of Solomon, Macon Dead craved for the American Dream. He was in denial and believed that he could be just as successful as the white man. Macon desired to own everything, including people. Macon tells Milkman the following: Let me tell you right now the one important thing youll ever need to know: Own things. And let things you own own things. Then youll†¦show more content†¦Witches in black dresses and underskirts; witches with pink eyes and green lips...So when he saw the woman at the top of the stairs there was no way for him to resist climbing up toward her outstretched hands, her fingers spread wide for him, her mouth gaping open for him, her eyes devouring him. In a dream you climb stairs (239). Was this old woman, Circe, real or part of one of Milkmans dreams/nightmares? Could Macons grandfather really fly?: He was flying. He flew. You know, like a bird. Just stood up in the fields one day, ran up some hill, spun around a couple of times, and was lifted up in the air. Went right on back to wherever it was he came from (323). Was Ruth, Milkmans mother, almost swallowed up by her garden plants as Milkman watched from the kitchen window?: They were smothering her, taking away her breath with their soft jagged lips. And she merely smiled and fought them off as though they were harmless butterflies (105). It really does not matter because dreams become reality and vice versa in Milkmans world. The dream of the women in Song of Solomon was to find a man or husband to take care of them. Ruth thought that by marrying a man with Macons status, money and ownership of property, she would live the perfect fairytale life. This dream turns into a nightmare as Macon either ignores her or raises a hand to strike her. This unhappy marriage often caused Ruth to dream aboutShow MoreRelated The African-American Nightmare Exposed in Black Literature Essay2231 Words   |  9 PagesAfrican-American Nightmare Exposed in Olaudah Equiano, Narrative of Frederick Douglass, Song of Solomon, and Push    The American Dream was founded on the concept that all men are created equal(Jefferson 729) and that everyone has the capability and resources to pull themselves up by their bootstraps. 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