A central theme in The Song of Solomon is flight. More specifically, the flight of men. But what happens to the women in this story?
Once the men "fly away," we don't know what happens to them. But we do know that they are gone, and the people left behind are the only ones who can continue their legacy. For example, Solomon's wife, Ryna, was abandoned by his "flight" and left to raise their twenty-one kids alone. Even the song that the children in Danville sing depicts this scene, "O Solomon don't leave me here / Cotton balls to choke me / Buckra's arms to yoke me." While Solomon and Ryna both suffered the terrors of slavery, Solomon was the only one to unearth freedom. This pattern is repeated once again with our main character, Milkman.
The most important women in Milkman's journey are Pilate, Hagar, his mother, and his sisters. Whilst Pilate raises Hagar independent from men, Milkman's mother and sisters are overshadowed by him and his father. Morrison reveals this quite later in the book, in a section through Lena's perspective. Although brief, we learn a lot about what might be the reality of their family dynamic, where the sisters have given up their childhood to raise Milkman. I think it is interesting how Morrison chose to include this after we have become sympathetic towards Milkman. Throughout the second half of the novel, his sisters establish their independence through hard work, while Milkman takes a road trip to learn how to fly.
Pilate on the other hand, seems to represent an "untethered" character, and is literally missing a navel. She is loving and fiercely loyal, contrary to the men in her family. At the end of the novel, Milkman says, "without ever leaving the ground, she could fly." Without leaving behind her loved ones, Pilate created a life and identity for herself. Her daughter Hagar, however, becomes heavily infatuated with Milkman. This only leads to disaster, with Milkman not willing to commit emotionally. When he leaves, Hagar is devastated and falls into a state of depression, eventually passing away. This happens at the same time that Milkman makes his enormous discoveries, and is about to make his "triumphant return" home. I believe that Morrison intentionally overlapped these scenes, in order to contrast the state of the two characters. In the end Milkman takes his flight, leaving behind the ground where the body of Pilate lays.
