Re is a de Es udios No eame icanos, n ° 7 (2000
),
pp.
75
-84
BROKEN
WINGS
OF
FREEDOM:
BIRD
IMAGERY
IN
TONI
MORRISON'
S
NOVELS
SUSANA VEGA
ÜO
NZÁLEZ
Uni
e sidad
de
O iedo
Linge ing spi i
o
he dead, ise up a
nd
posse
ss
you bi d
o
passage!
Haile Ge ima, Sanko a
Among he se e a!
li
e a y concep s ha could be applied o
To
ni
Mo ison's
no els a e hose
o
me apho and symbol.
In
he book Speci y
in
g: Black Women
W i ing he Ame ican Expe ience, Susan Willis cha ac e izes Mo ison
's
w i ing as
« he mos me apho ical
o
oday's black women au ho s» (Willis
19
87: 8). Thus
c i ics ha e
pa
id a en ion o he use
o
elemen s like wa e , i e, and ea h, o
ins ance, as well
as
he employmen o na u e, whose na a i e li e u ns i in o one
mo e cha ac e . Bu li le c i ica! a en ion has been paid o bi d image y
in
his w i e ,
in spi e
o
he ac ha
i
is
an impo1 an aspec in
he
na a i e ha e ec i ely
con ibu es o he po ayal
o
he mos nega i e side
o
A ican Ame i
ca
n social
eali y in
he
Uni ed S a es. When d
ea
ling wi h me apho s
in
A ican Ame i
ca
n
women w i e s, Jacqueline de Wee e a gues ha «[ )he images ha build he
me apho s a e culled om na u e, om c ea u es o he ea h
in
mos cases, wi h
c ea
u
es
o
he ai
- he
bi d o example- used occasionally» (De Wee e
1991
: 62).
Ho
we
e
, in he case
o
Toni Mo ison, i is equen ly a h
e
han occasionally ha
she uses bi ds
-and
hei
ligh -
as me apho .
I
is
he pu pose
o
his essay o
asce ain whe he he image
o
he bi d
is
u ilized wi h i s usual adi ional symbolism
o eedom o
i
ha
a<>socia ion
is e ised.
I
his is he case.
we
will also analyze he
new
meaning
asc ibed o bi ds
in
M
o
ison
's
no els and how
ha
meaning is
ende ed.
76
Susa11a
Vega
Gnn
zá
/ez
Those li le c ea u es
ca
lled bi ds ha e always a
ac ed
he a
en ion
o
humans who ha e ied o imi a e
h
ei ligh no only in my hology, like Daedalus
and
Ica us, bu also in eal li e. F om ancien imes and ac oss di e en cul u es,
bi d
s
ha e always inspi ed a whole ange
o
belie s, my hs, and me apho s. Because
o
h
ei
ab
il
i y o ly and soa up
in
he ai owa ds he sky hey ha e
ge
ne ally been associa ed
wi h
h
e link be ween Hea en and Ea h; hey we e al
so
conside ed messeng
e
s
om
Hea
en
o possesso s
o
occul scc e s (Walke 1988: 396, C
he
a
lie 1994: 86-87).
In
se e a! my hs, bi ds a e associa ed wi h hc sun, like he
Eg
yp ian phoenix,
he
hummingbi d
o
he eagl
e,
o in.s ance. The La
in
wo d «a
es
» mean bo h «bi
d
s»
and «ances al spi i
s»
and hese c ea u es
we
e
also symbo
ls
o
ebi h and
o
h
e
lying souls which ascend o Hca en a e dea
h
(Walke 1983:
101
).
Bi ds we e
al
so
assumed o u e wa nings
an
d p ophecies, «a powe de i ed no only om
h
ei
access
o
o nniscien gods bu om
hei
associa ion w
i h
he dead, who
we e
supposed o ha e he p i ilege
o
o esee
in
g he u u e» (Lu wack
19
94:
11
8). As
we
can
see,
he lis
o
bi
d
symbols is long, al hough hey a e usually ela ed o
ligh
,
because
o
hei wings, and he e o e o Hca en, because
o
hei abili y
o
ly
in
an
upwa d di ec ion.
Mo ison 's powe ul use
o
bi ds in all he no els
is
o en dis up
i
e a
nd
uncon en ional.
In
sani y, ha ed, e o , sla e y,
se
l ishness,
and
e il a e ali con eyed
h ough images
o bi ds
like he hawk. he do e, he
ca
dinal, he peacock, he oo
s e
,
he hummingbi d, and he obin. Bi ds a e always p esen
in
he no els and e en in
he Nobel P ize lec u e she
us
ed, once again, he image
o
he bi d. In he
speech
,
Mo
nison
ells us abou an old black woman who is blind bu wise and some
young
people, one
o
whom poses he ollowing ques ion o he : «Old woman, I hold
in
my
hand
a bi d. Tell me whe he i is li ing
o
d
ea
d» (Mo ison 1994: 6). La e
on
Mo ison discloses
h
e symbolism behind his s o y:
h
e
bi
d, she says, s ands o
language and he old woman
e
p esen s he w i e .
In he i s
no el
, The Blues Eye, Mo ison wea es
an
appa en ly simple s o1y
abou a black gi l who hanke s a e blue eyes. Bu he play on wo ds he e y i le
endoses
hin s a
h
e humilia ion, wo hlessness, and ailu e ha domina e Pecol
a's
li e. E en a e achie
in
g wha she mos wan e
d,
o
p ecisely because
o
i
,
she is « he
blues! eye,» ha
is
, he saddes I:
«E
lbows ben , hands on shoulde s, she lailed
he
anns
like a bi d
in
e e nal, g o esquely u ile e o o
ly
. Bea ing he ai , a winged bu
g ounded bi d, in en on he blue oid
i
could no each
-could
no e en
see-
bu
which illed he alleys
o
he mind» (Mo ison 1970: 162). Pecola is
U n
s desc ibed
as a winged bu g ounded bi d whose b oken sel , a e ince
s
uous ape, p e en s h
e
ligh in o wholeness.
This
pa adoxical me apho is cha ac e is ic
o
Mo ison
's
na a i e, which is ul!
o
appa en ly con adic o y e ms. The Blues Eye shows a
wo
ld
whe e dis up ion is always p escn , whe e « he all b ings dea h, no ha es »
(O en 1989: 1
O),
wbe e he seeds die ins ead
o
g owing (Mo isou 1970: 10), whe e
Cholly plan s his des mc i e secd
in
he daugh
e 's
womb in sp ing, he e ili y
season, ende ing his season in o «a e ili y i e in e ed» (Ch is ian 1980: 71).
Pecol
a,
he winged bu
g o
unded bi d, unde goes bo h a spi i ual dea h and a psychic
dea h, as she ends
up
in he abyss
o
madness. This ype
o
dea h can be summa ized
in
he wo ds
o
Ma
i
n Foss who, app op ia ing he amo
us
Macbe hian sen ence
Bmke11
Wi11gs
o
F
ee
dom
: Ri d nuige1y
i11
To11i
Mo ison 's No e
Is
77
s a es: «He e Ii e is a ' ale old by
an
idio
,'
pe e ed and absu d. This isola ion and
pe e sion can be called a 'symbolic dea h
'-
no dea h expe ienced as isola ion, bu an
isola ion which can
be
me apho ically called a kind
o
dea h» (Foss 1966: 36).
A plague
o
obins lying and dying announces he e u n
o
Sula, he wi ch-
igu e,
in
Monison
's
second no el:
Accompanied by a plague
o
obins, Sula ca ne back o Medallion. The li le
yam-b eas ed shudde ing bi ds we e e e ywhe e, exci ing e y sma
ll
child en
away om hei usual welcome in o a icious s oning. Nobody knew
why
o
om whe e hey had come.
Wha
hey did know was ha you couldn' go any-
whe e wi hou s epping in o hei pea ly shi , and i was ha d o hang
up
clo-
hes, pull weeds o jus si on he on po ch when obins we e lying and
dying a ound you. (Mo ison l 987b: 89)
Also. ou dead obins in on
o
E a
's
hou
se
announcc hc a
i
al
o
he
p odiga! daugh e in Medallion a e en yea s, hus ac ing as
an
o nen, as E a he sel
admi s: «I migh ha e knowed hem bi ds mean some hing» (Mo ison l 987b: 89).
Hc e again wc a e wi nesses o an abo ed ligh ; like he dying and dead obins, Sula
ies o ind eedom
in
he me apho ical !ligh om he s ic u es
o
he communi y
bu inally e ums o die in i . She
is
no willing o
be
jus
a mo he and a wi e. He
p ide and he de e mina ion o be only he sel , and nobody else's. is cu ailed
by
he
black communi y o whom she is bu an e il ha mus be a e ed. This is he main
example
o
bi d image y we can ind
in
Sula. Acco ding o Ba ba a Walke , Robin
Redb eas .
o
«Cock Robin,» was a bi d o m
o
Robín Good ellow. one
o
he
co n non na nes
o
h
e so-called god
o
he wi ches.
The
ed-b eas ed bi d
o
sp ing
was Cock Robin' s soul.
The
obin' s ed b eas
is
also ela ed o he blood
o
Ch is
sincc. acco ding o ano he legend, a obin ied o pluck away he
homs
om
Ch is 's c own pie cing i s own b eas . which he ea e became ed (Walke 1983:
858). The e o e
h
e obín symbolizes Sula because
shc
is
con
si
de
ed
as a wi ch who
plays ha oc wi h he me nbe s
o
he communi y. s ealing
hu
sbands and b eaking
ules. Once again. Mo ison u ilizes a bi d image o ep esen no eedom bu lack
o
eedo n, no li e, bu dea h.
The
no i
o ligh is c ucial
in
he nex no el Mo ison w i es, Song
o
Solomon. A he end
o
his ajec o y, Milkman Dead su ende s o he ai and ides i
in
a me apho ical lig
h
o
spi i ual eedom. Bu lhe image
o
ligh
is
ai ead y p esen
in
he no el om he beginning, whe e
Milkman's
bi h akes
place
in he same
hospi al om which
M
Smi h, an insu ance agen ,decides
o
jump. One
<lay
a e his
un o una e e en Milkman Dead is bo n; when
he
is ou he disco c s « he same
hing
M
S ni h had lea ned ea lie - ha only bi ds and ai planes could ly» hus
losing «all in e es
in
him
se
l
»
(Mo ison l 987a: 9).
The
Dead a e a amily domina ed
by ma e ial possession and accumula ion de ached om lowe class blacks.
The
sel ish ma e ialism embodicd
by
Malcolm
Dead
is
sy
mbolized in
he
las na ne
«D
ead» which alludes o spi i ual dea h based
on
aliena ion. The i ual Sunday ides
on he Packa d y o show
o
he whole amily and ils success:
78
Susana
Vega
González
These idcs ha he amily ook on Sunday a emoons had become i uals and
much oo impo an! o Macan o enjoy.
Fo
him i was a way o sa is y
himsel
ha he was indeed a suc
ce
ss ul man. I was a Iess ambi ious i ual o Ru h,
bu
a way, ne e heless, o he o display h
e
amily. (Mo ison 1987
a:
31)
In e es ingly, he only hing Milkman can see om his sea
is
he
«si
l
e
winged woman poised a he ip
o
he Packa d» his a he d i es (Mo ison l 987a:
32). The i ony o his episode is clea : his image is bu a di ec allusion o íligh .
Howe e , he me allic composi ion
o
he small s a
ue
and i s igidi y and
lack
o
mo emen symbolize an abo ed ligh . The impossibili y o
ly
a ec s he
Dead
amily. Mo eo e ,
he
Packa d Macon d i es so slowly
is
iden i ied
by
many
as
«Macan Dead's hea se» (Mo ison 1987a: 33). Pila e, Milkman's aun ,
is
he he o's
guide/pilo
in
bis ques o iden i y. His physical jou ney o he Sou h in sea ch
o
a
bag
o
gold is umed in o a spi i ual joumey in sea ch o sel hood and cul u al iden i y.
A e a long and complica ed p ocess
he
inds who he eally
is
and whe e he
comes
om, as
we
ll
as
he impo an! alue o his ances o s. «
He
joumeys om spi i ual
dea h o ebi h, a di ec ion symbolized by his disco e y
o
he sec e powe o ligh »
(Lee 1985: 353). Pila e's dea h a he end
o
he no el is ela ed o ano he image
o
bi ds; a e
chis
dea h,
we
a e old ha one bi d «di ed in o he new g a e and scooped
some hing shiny in i s beak
be a
e i lew away» (Mo ison l 987a: 336), ha i
s,
Pila e's
ea ing whe e
she
kep he name in a small
box
.
Thi
s symbolic
scene
ep e
se
n s Pila e's ebi h; a e he physical dea h, Pila e's soul is ca ied o Hea en
by
a psychopomp o spi i -guide
-
he bi d.1
l
is hen ha Milk nan ealizes
ha
«I w ji hou e e lea ing he g ound, she could ly» (Mo ison l 987a: 336). She is no
dead because now she belongs o he wo ld o he ances o s who a e no physically
p esen bu a e spi i ually ali e.
We
can say ha Song
o
Solomon
is
he no el whe e
bi ds a e used in a mos posi i
e
way in ha
h
ey symbolize ebi h and eedom wi h
he excep ion
o
he winged bu g ounded woman
on
he Packa d. All in all,
he
linge ing image
we
will ha e when
we
inish eading he book
is
Milkman's ligh ,
which ep esen s he eedom
o
his soul om ma e ialism and his spi i ual ebi h
(Julien 1996: 39).
In
o de o ly Milkman has o gi e up his ma e ial possessions and
his g eed ha weighed him down like a peacock hinde ed
by
i s ail (Mo ison l 987a:
179). The peacock, which is ela ed o Osun, he Yo uba o isa
o
Lo e, A , and
Sensuali y,
as
a symbol o he beau y, is also a emind
e
o
he isks o o e indulging
possessions and weal h (Neima k 1993: 143). Like his aun Pila e, and like bis
ances o , he ly
in
g A ican Solomon, Milkman
can
inally ly:
l.
This i
magc
o
hc bi d as soul-canic b ings lo mind Haile
Ge ima's
ilm Sanko a.
which
also includcs hc my h
o
h
e ligh back
o
A ica. Whcn Nunu,one
o
!he sla cs on he plan a ion,
is
kill
ed
hy he son, pcople say hcy saw a
big
buzza d coming down and aking he
bac.:k
o A ica.
And
a he end
o
he ilm wc can hca
Shola
elling us how shc lies back o A ica akcn by a big bu7.za d
oo.
B oke11
Wings
o
e
edom: Ri d Image y
in
Toni Mo ison 's N Jl'e/s
79
Wi hou wiping away he ea s, aking a deep b ea h, o e en bending his knees
-he
leaped.
As
lee and b igh as a lodes a he wheeled owa d Gui a and i
did no ma e which one
o
hem would gi e up his ghos
in
he killing a ms
o
his b o he .
Fo
n
ow
he
knew wha Shalima knew:
I
you su ende ed o he
ai , you could ide i
.
(Mo
nison
l 987a: 337)
Thus
he
no el
ends
wi h
he
he o's
spi i
ual
e
bi h
g an ed
by his
acknowledgemcn
o
his Jegenda y pas .2
A he end
o
Ta Baby, Jadine's ligh back o Pa ís on he man-made bi d, he
plan
e,
is qui e di e en om Milkman
's
me apho ical ligh ,
as
i akes h
e
away om
hc possibili y
o
closeness o he ances o s and he cul u
e.
In
s ead
o
s aying
in
he
Ca ibbean and keeping a connec ion wi h hc oo s ha would empowe he p esen
and he u u e, she lies o Pa is o join he well-o pa oe and con inue he li e
o
g andeu , des oying «a
ny
ela ionship
o
communi y
in
he sel » (Ch is ian 1985:
243). This
is
ano he case o spi i ual dea h b ough abou by cul u al aliena ion,
simila o he one we could see in Milkman be o e his double jou ney.
I
he e is a no el whe e Mo ison makes a as and ex ao dina ily powe ul
use o bi d image y, ha no el is Belo ed. Mo ison u ilizes di e en ypes o bi d in
his s o y, namely he oos e , he ca dinal, be do e, he hawk, and
h
e hummingbi d.
Thei ep esen a ion
in
he na a i e is such ha hey a e closely associa ed wi h he
ho o s
o
sla e y and he ensuing al e a ion
o
human na u e.
The i s bi d ha appea s in Belo ed is he oos e . Among i s nume ous
mcanings and associa ions we can men ían i s classi ica ion
as
a sola symbol because
i s c owing he alds he dawn and announces he end
o
da kness (Che alie 1994: 209,
211). Sudanese people
o
Mali ela e i s oo o he symbolism
o
he c oss- oads
because
o
i s shape. This bi d
is
also one o he many symbols associa ed wi h Ch is ,
in he
New
Tes amen s o y old in Ma hew 26, and Ma k 14.
As
Ch is had p edic ed,
Pe e h ice denies his discipleship be o e cockc ow, hence i s
as
socia ion
o
he dea h
and esu ec ion
o
he Sa iou (Walke 1988: 397).
I
al
so symbolizes
p
ide (Alonso
1995: 183) and masculini y as shown in i s
phallic
ep esen a ions in
Roman
sculp u es (Walke 1988: 397). When Pa
ul
D digs in o he pas and desc ibes his
humilia ing imp isonmen ,
he
does no conside he pain and deg ada ion caused by
he i on bi he was o ced
o
wea in his mou h. Wha he ound mos humilia ing was
he s a e and appa en smile
o
Mís e , he oos e whom he had helpcd o ha ch: «He
2. Jacquelinc
de
Wee e poin s ou an in c cs ing in e sion
o
he my h
o
he !lying Daedalus:
«unlike Daedal
us
, who lies because
o
hub is, hc hc o Milkman llics because
o
!o e» (De
Wc
e e
19
91: 4 ), lo
e
o Pila
e
and o his ances o s. In a simila mannc , Dcbo ah Gu h makes a <lis inc ion
bc ween Solo
mon's
o iginal íligh hack o A ica o escape sla c y and Milkman's ligh a he end
o
he no el: «In his onc momen he [Mi!kman] inal!y epossesscs his my hic he i age. Mo e han ha ,
he
gi es i new meaning. Fo Solomon
's
o iginal !ligh de in
cd
ccdom
asan
escape om he p esen :
bu as Milkman leaps in o he ai and in o he a ms
o
he
'b
o he 'poised o kili him.hc emb aces he
p esen as well as he legenda y pas and de ines cedom as a
comp
lex connec edness» (Gu h l 993:
584). This
is
an examplc
o
Monison's
simul ancous use and c ision
o
my h.

80
Susa
na
Ve.¡¡a
Gom:.
ále
z
sa igh hc e on he ub looking a me. l swea he smiled
...
Mis e , he looked
so
.
..
ee. Be e han me. S onge , oughe . Son
o
a bi ch
couldn
' e en ge ou
he
sheJI
by hissel bu he was s ill king
and
l was ... » (Mo ison 1988: 72). The image
o
he
oos e s a ing a Paul D is augh wi h i ony in ba he man is
no
only
di
spossesse
d
o
his manhood bu also
o
his humani y h ough sla e
y.
His condilion is such
ha
he
e en somehow wishes o be in
h
e posi ion
o
Mí
s e , no as much because i
is
king
and mís e /mas e bu because i s na u e has no been deg aded:
Mis e was allowed o be and s ay wha he was. Bu I wasn' allowed o
be
and
s ay wha I
wa
s.
E en
i
you cooked
him
you'd
be
cooking a oos e
named
Mís e . Bul wasn
'
no
way
I'
d e e be Paul D again, li ing o dead.
School ea
-
che changed me. 1 was some hing else
and
ha some hing was less han a
chic-
ken
si ing in he sun on a ub. (Mo ison 1988: 72)
Jns ead
o
announcing dayligh , he oos e he alds
comple
e da kness o
Paul
D. He wonde s: «How could a oos e know abou Al ed, Geo gia'1» (Mlmison 1988:
229); he o eknowledge a ibu ed
o
his bi d is in e ed he e
as
i is no ligh
hu
pain
and da kness ha i o e ells.
The nex bi d
Monison
in oduces wi h
hi
ghly symholic conno a ions is he
ca dinal. «Belo ed
u
ned a ound and le
...
pausing o
wa
ch a
ca
d
inal hop om
limb o b anch. She
o
ll
owe
d he blood spo shi ing in he lea es un il she los
i
and
e en hen she walked
on,
backwa d, s ill hung y
o
ano he
glimpse» (
Monison
1988: l O 1). This bi d
o
b igh ed plumage in he mal e
an
d swee oice he e s ands
as
a emind
e
o
he hlood shed when Se he cu s
he
baby
's
h oa . The «blood spo »
Belo ed hanke s a
e
p obably signi
i
es he hi s o e enge mixed wi h !o e
o
he
mo he . La e on
in
he no el, he image
o
he ca dinal is
again
ela ed o blood
om
killing. This ime S amp
Pa
id sees some hing simila o a ed ca dinal ea he on he
bo om
o
he i e ; as he ugs a i , he ealizcs ha i
was
ac ually «a ed ibbon
kno ed a ound a cu l o we woolly hai , clinging s ill o i s bi
o
scalp» (MmTi
son
1988: 180). Once again, he ho o s
o
sla e y a e conju ed up h ough images
o
bi ds. Wha could be a beau i ul ca dinal ea he u ns
ou
o be he
ema
ins
o
a
lynched black pe son.
The do e has always been one
o
he mos e nblema ic bi ds, ep esen a i e
o
peace and !o e. I s whi e plumage has con eyed he idea
o
pu i y; e en in he
New
Tes amen
Jesu
s
e e s
o
do es
as «innocen »
(Ma l
h
ew
10: 16
).
The
do e
also
ep esen s he Holy Spi i
who
descended upon Ma y o imp egna e he h ough
he
ea .
In
Mo ison
's
no el he posi i e symbolism a ached o
h
is
bi d is in
e
ed and
dis up ed.
Wc
i s hea
o
do es when Paul D
is
chained-up in he p ison camp:
The dew, mo e likely ban no , was mis
by
hen. Hea y
so
me imes and
i
he
dogs we e quie a
nd
jus
b ea hing
yo
u could h
ea
do es. Kneeling in he mis
hey wai ed o he
whim
o
a gua d. o
wo
, o h ee.
O
maybe a
li
o
hem
B o
ke11
Wings
o
F eedom: Bi d /mage in
To11i
Mo ison 's N<ll'e/s
81
wan e<l
i . Wan ed i om
one
p isone in pa icula
o
none
-o
ali. (Mo i
son
1988: 10
7)
This
is
one
mo e
in e sion
o
adi ional
bi d
ima
g
e y
; a
om
b
eing
a
peace ul
and
lo ing si
u
a
i
on,
i
seems
o be a pa
o
he wo ld gone aw y: black men
kneeling
do
wn
wa
i ing
o
hei
in
ake
o
seme
n
om
he
i
whi e
opp esso s.
«Üccasio
na
lly a kn
ee
li
ng
man
cho
se
gunsho in
hi
s head as he p ice,
ma
ybe,
o
aking
a
bi
o
o eskin wi h him o Jesu
s.
Paul O did no
know
ha hen. He was looking a
his palsied hands,
sme
lling he gua d, lis ening o his so g un s
so
like he do es'»
(Mo ison 1988: 108).
The
s iking and i onic compa ison be ween he gua d
's
g un s
and he do es' sound eminds
us
o
he dis up i e condi ion
o
sla e y, which mean
«[l]is ening o he do es
...
and
ha ing nei he he igh no he p
enniss
ion
o
enjoy i
because in ha place mis , do es. sunligh , coppe di . moon
-e e y
hing belonged o
he
men
who
had he guns»
(Mo
ison 1988: 162).
Ou
nex en
co
un e wi h ano h
e
ype
o
bi d occu s in he mo
s
hea ending
sc
ene
in
h
e no el:
Se he's
mu de
o
h
e
baby
daugh e
o sa e he om sla e y.
S amp
Paid associa es his en aged mo he wi h a hawk:
«he
ace beaked
...
he
hands
wo
k
ed
like claws» (Mo ison 1988: 157). The
hawk
was he o emic o m
o
he Egyp ian
go
d Ho us and he pha aoh
's
une al ce emonies «o en included he
elease
o
a li e
hawk
o
depic
he d
ea
d
king's
soul lying
away
o
i s home
in
hea en» (Wa
lke
198
8:
403). Bu i is i s condi ion
o
bi d
o
p cy ha
is
used in i s
ela ion o Se he, wi h a special ocus 011 he b
eak
and claw
s:1
In his
ep
isode he e is a
second equ
a
ion
o
be maddened mo he o ano he bi d: he
hummi
ngbi d. When
Se he se
es
School eache
and
he o he men app oaching,
she hea
d
wings. Li lc hummingbi ds s uck
hei
needle beaks igh h ough
he headclo h in o
he
hai
and
bea hei wings
..
. She
jus
lcw. Collec.: ed
e e y bi o li e she had
mad
e, ali he pa s
o
he
ha we e p ecious and ine
and beau i ul, and ca ied, pushed, d ngged hem .
..
whe e no one could hu
hem.
O e
he e. Ou side his place, whe e
h
ey
wou
l<l
be sa e. And lhe
hum-
mingbi d wings b
ea
on. (Mo ison 1988: 163)
Th
esc
sma
ll bi ds wi
h
long
beaks <
<look
like well equipped wa io s
...
Thc
beak
s esemble buil -in pie cing weapons; so ne spccies ha e hin, cu
in
g beaks ha
a e longe ha h
ei
bodies» (Benson 1989: 4).
They
a e agg essi e bi ds. Bccausc
hey can ly s aigh
up
and down, o wa d an
<l
backwa d and hey
can
ho c in place,
3.
The
sa
me
imagc
o
beaks and claws hal Mo ison cmploys in Belo ed appca s
in
Gayl
Jones's Co eg
idnm.
U sa
ha
s a
d
ea
m wh : e she no iccs «lha my bclly was
~wollcn
and cs less» and
also eels « he humming and hea ing
o
wings ami claws in my highs and 1 cl a s i pcnis insidc
me
... H
is
hai
was
likc whi c
wings
and
we
we c uni
ed
a hi h» (Jon
es
1986: 76-77). Hc c
Co egido a. he P011ugucsc sla e mas e who haun s hc women
o
he amily, is cqua cd wi h a
bi d
o
p
cy.
82 Susana
Vega
González
hey a e associa ed wi h he Sun, ha seems o pe o m
hese
mo emen s oo
(Hun
1977: 67-68).
The
hummingbi ds a e highly e i o ial and will de end hei
g ounds
« igo ously, whe he
o
no he in ude
is
o
hei own amily, and qui e ega dless
o
size» (ci ed in Hun 1977: 67). In his case, he agg essi eness
o
he hummingbi d,
oge he wi h
h
e gua ding
o
i s
e
i o y seem
o
i Se he
in
he mos unbea able
expe ie
nce.
Like
he
bi d
,
she
de end
s
he
g ound
a
ali
cos s;
and
like
he
hummingbi d, she wins as success ul wa. io in ha School eache will no ha e
he
baby. Howe e , wha she loses is he own pas , as she will keep i a bay
in
he
dim
ecesses
o
he mind. The episode
o
he hummingbi d
is
epea ed
a
he end
o
he
no el, when Se he akes Den e 's
em
pl
oye ,
M
Bodwin, o School eache ,
ying
his ime o kill him ins ead
o
he daugh e (Mo ison 1988: 262).
While Paul D wan s o keep he unbea able pas
whe e
i belongs, «in
ha
obacco in bu icd
in
his ches whe e a ed hea used
o
be,»
Se he keeps «bea i
ng
back he pas » (Mo ison 1988: 72-73), a pas oo ho ible
o
ela e. These a e
h
e
unspeakable hings unspoken Mo ison speaks abou ; she ips he eil ha co e s
he
u h. Wi h his no el, Mo ison demons a es ha i is possible o come back om he
cccsses
o
his o y o «exo cise one's ghos s»; Belo ed is
no
only Se he's
daugh e
bu also he ghos s
o
hose six y million and mo e sla es who pe ished unde
sla e y
a
nd
h ough he Middle Passage. Thus Mo ison in e s Belo ed's a e: ins ead
o
emaining
si
lenced he ghos is made lesh and comes ou o ela e how i eels o
be
in
da kness.
Like he Egyp ian phoenix, he ghos
o
he pas esu ec s i sel . Mo ison,like
many o he A ican Ame ican au ho s, econs uc s he pas h ough he «imagina i e
ac .» as she pu s i (Zinsse 1987:
11
2) and uses ha pas o imp o e he p esen
and
he u u e. This
un
ion
o
pas and p esen embodies he essence
o
he bi d sanko
a
,
which
in
h
e Akan language means « e u ning o you oo s, ecupe a ing wha
you' e
los , and mo ing o wa d» (Wool o d 1994: 103). So o Mo ison i
<loes
no
seem
jus
a ques ion
o
nos algia
o
he
pas , bu a necessa y e ie al
o
i o
help
unde s and ou p esen be e .
A e his analysis
o
bi d image y in Mo ison's wo ks we can conclude
ha
hcy cons i u e one mo e example
o
in e sion in his w i e . Th ough he ic ion.
she
ums
h
e wo ld upside down, in clea e lec ion
o
he i alionali y
o
he sys em and
en i onmen ha engul ed A ican Ame icans om he
i
ea ly expe ience in
he
Ame icas. Dis np ion and in e sion
o
human na u e we e a he hea
o
sla e y
and
acism and his is wha Mo ison in cnds
o
p011 ay
in he no els.
l
human beings a e
umed in o animals, hen bi ds can be g ounded wi h b oken wings.
We
ha e seen ha
in many
o
he cases we ha e s udied, bi ds a e
o
en augh wi h negali e meaning,
une
o
su e ing, pain, humilia ion, madness, and dea h,
in
keeping wi h he dis up i e
cha ac e
o
na u e ha is p esen in his au hoi; as i happens a he beginning
o
Sula,
o ins ance. Only in a ew cases does Mo ison abide
by
he adi ional equa ion
o
bi ds/ ligh and eedom
o
ebi h.
Wha we ha e le
is
he hope
o
spi i
u
al egene a ion and, like he
bi d
sanko a, hc possibili y
o
mo ing o wa d a e exo cising hose haun ing ghos s
om he pas , e en
i
ha
pa
s is ull
o
dying ob
in
s, smiling oos e s, bloody
ca dinals. g un ing do es, p eda o y hawks, maddening hummingbi ds, and g ounded
bi ds.
B oken Wings
o
F eedom:
Bi d
lm
age y in Toni Mo ison 's No els
83
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