Milkman’s epiphany in Chapter 11 (275-278)

A characteristic crucially representative of Milkman’s character is his selfishness. Throughout the book he demonstrates in numerous situations that he is interested only in himself and absorbed in his own problems. His relationships with his family and with Hagar reveal that not only is he ignorant of feeling and emotions of other people, but he is also unwilling to try to understand and help the people who he supposedly loves. “I am not responsible for you pain; share your happiness with me but not your unhappiness,” states Milkman in this chapter reinforcing his lack of interest and affection towards his family. He has responded with boredom and disgust to the talks he has had with his mother and father about certain moments of their lives in the past. Previously, he has considered his behavior perfectly acceptable, due to his self-centeredness. Being at a deserted area, left all alone, however, Milkman reflects on his previous experiences and reaches a revelation.

In this scene Milkman realizes two very momentous aspects of his manner of acting in general and of the way he interacts with other people. The first concerns the fact that his belief that he deserves other people’s love and attention is a misconception. It is clear for Milkman now that he has not actually done anything to be worthy of his parents’ or Hagar’s affection, support and understanding. These are only due to their good will, not to Milkman’s positive attitude towards them. He has never shown gratitude or respect but he has expected nothing else than that in return. It is peculiar how being away from the Deads and Hagar has helped Milkman become conscious of his mistakes. But his epiphany does not end with this observation. During the past days he has casually but carefully examined the behavior of the people in the small town and has been truly impressed by their methods of communication. The whole hunting scene has revealed the harmony between the citizens and the flora and fauna around them. They are not enemies and it seems as if they are all equal and connected, able to interact peacefully with one another. This as astounded but also saddened Milkman since he has found out that he was never and will probably never be capable of such harmonious interaction in his relationships with people. He might speak the same language as everyone else, but it just seems as if his message does not get delivered and perceived by others and vice versa. Being jealous of the way Calvin reads nature, Milkman understands that he first needs to establish a way to communicate with his close friends and family members. Only then will he be able to advance in his interaction skills to achieve this understanding with each and every bit of the world around him.

This part from Chapter 11 bears a resemblance with a technique frequently used by Greek dramatists and poets in plays. They have often used moments of epiphany at the end of the final acts in order to purify the audience and to lead them to a catharsis after the dramatic happenings. A particular method they have used is the so called deus ex machina, when a God comes in to the scene in order to resolve a conflict, thus enabling the main character to reach his revelation. The manner in which Milkman receives his epiphany is close to the way such moments are depicted on the Greek scene. Milkman is alone, in the woods, a very typical mythological place. He is tired and his thoughts are wandering. In one moment the atmosphere is normal while in the other he comes to a realization, as if something or someone has helped him realize the truth.