Past

Past. A part of a person's history that is considered to be shameful

“He didn’t mean it. It happened before he was through. She’d stepped away from him to pick flowers, returned, and at the sound of her footsteps behind him, he’d turned around before he was through. It was becoming a habit—this concentration on things behind him. Almost as though there were no future to be had.”

This quote from Chapter 2 is a definite representation of the Milkman following Macon Jr’s footsteps. In this passage, Milkman accidentally urinates on Lena on a trip. Even at this young age, Milkman shows instability and an unfaithful attitude. Unlike anyone his age, Milkman tends to lean towards the past instead of looking forward. He feels more faith and reliance towards the things that have passed, instead of having hope for the future. This is perhaps due to the dysfunctionality of his family and the events that led up to the present. In addition, it is possible that his “concentration on the things behind him” is a way to cope with the present.

Although Milkman may feel that his family is abnormal and dysfunctional, he doesn’t quite realize that he is specially treated. Milkman urinating on his a girl is also a representation of how he views women at a young age. This reveals a large motif in the story: the pain inflicted on women by men. Although he may unintentionally urinated on Lena, the event becomes an example of the treatment of women throughout the book. Even though Milkman is treated highly amongst his sisters and mother, he fails to realize that he isn’t able match their care. In the end, unintentional or intentional, women were treated poorly, and the need for change is pressing.