In Song of Solomon, we do not see Milkman experiencing typical struggles; he is from a very wealthy background, has been presented the only job he needs, and does not experience racism on a daily basis from what we understand. Instead, he is haunted by the disturbing past of his parents and the legacy of his father which he cannot escape. The sudden change in the plot arc of the novel in the second part is especially indicative of Morrison's free writing style. Neither Milkman nor his parents are even particularly likable, as they are portrayed with a great deal of flaws. Milkman is self-consumed, and childish in his lack of motivation, purpose, and respect for his family. Macon and Ruth's past is riddled with traumatic events, with each side bringing the other's morality into question with accusations of murder and incest.
While reading novels by Tony Morrison, I've noticed that I rarely find myself contemplating the race of the main characters. I think this can be attributed largely to Morrison's deep and subtle description and narration, which gets the reader to think primarily about how her story describes an aspect of the human experience instead of assigning a racial paradigm to it. While this has its uses in protest novels and critical literature, which are explicitly serving a societal function, I believe the relative absence of this makes Morrison's writing unique and appealing. For instance, in Mrs. Dalloway we do not stop and contemplate the whiteness of the protagonist, as novels concerning white characters are never expected to adhere to a certain mold. I see Tony Morrison's work as an attempt to achieve that sort of mainstream acceptance for African-American literature as well.
