The back cover of Song of Solomon reads, “Morrison introduces an entire cast of strivers and seeresses, liars and assassins, the inhabitants of a fully realized black world.” ... Or maybe just the inhabitants of Wisteria* Lane? It’s actually not so far-fetched that Morrison’s characters, her story’s “inhabitants”, are not a far cry from those of the juicy ABC hit series Desperate Housewives.
I know, I know. Song of Solomon deals with the literary and cultural heritage of black Americans, their identities and roles in society; Morrison chronicles a young black man’s transformation as he learns important life lessons and discovers himself through discovering his cultural/ familial heritage. Desperate Housewives chronicles the [scandalous] lives of a bunch of middle-aged white ladies who are, at best, conniving gossips.
But when you look deeper, you discover that Mark Cherry is (almost) the Tony Morrison of television. Because these women have learned throughout their eight tumultuous seasons on the mysterious Wisteria Lane the same lessons Milkman has through his journey in Song of Solomon (though their experiences may be a little different). The nature of their relationships allows these women to experience betrayal. Murder is commonplace on the Lane, and it usually involves a twisted plot of deceit and secrecy. Milkman deals with the same elements in his own journey toward self-realization.
I think that common plot elements are not only indicators that Mark Cherry (like Morrison) deserves a Noble Prize, but also that these issues, no matter how extreme, are all at play when it comes to making discoveries about human nature. Milkman can “fly” in the end of Song of Solomon because he releases his concerns for materialism, he acknowledges his stupidity (achieving self-awareness), and he transcends societal boundaries that hold him down. In Desperate Housewives, the resolution is most satisfying when the women reach out and connect with each other, rather than pursuing their own personal goals.
By including the motifs of betrayal, deceit, friendship, love, and identity in his own show, Mark Cherry subtly hints at the universality of Morrison’s microcosmic bildungsroman, Song of Somon. While Morrison achieves this on a more intellectual level, both Mark Cherry and Morrison tell us about human nature and, sometimes, how to transcend our individual boundaries, because, as Milkman learns, self awareness arises out of compassion for others.
*I would like to add (as another point of comparison) that Wisteria Lane is named after a flower...an important motif in Song of Solomon. If this doesn’t say something about the universality of Morrison’s subject matter, it could indicate that Mark Cherry is pretty well-read.
Recent Comments