Age

As I read Song of Solomon, I must constantly remind myself that Milkman is middle aged now. I still think of him as being in his mid 20s, full of energy and sass. I just cannot picture 40 year old Milkman, no matter how hard I try. Guitar is the same-- they never seem to age. I think that perhaps Milkman never notices how old he is getting, either. He still parties hard at 40, gets in fights with younger men, and acts pretty immature (at first). Could one explanation for his change of heart and desire to go out on his own be that he is having a Mid-life crisis? The thought never occured to me until about 5 minutes ago, since even when I consciously realize how old he is, I still think of him as young. Instead of a traditional midlife crisis of wanting to be young again, Milkman is finally trying to act his age. It is odd, but I think it really fits the saying "the grass is greener on the other side." Even when he matures, however, I think of Milkman as youthful. I guess that's because even a 20 year old should be responsible enough to go out on his own, and Milkman has never tried to do this until he is twice that age.
Milkman's "midlife crisis" interests me as a possible reason for his desire to venture outside of his hometown, because it brings his age to the foreground, forcing me to acknowledge it. But I don't think that being older than he seems makes him seem weaker or more immature. In fact, I think it makes him al the more impressive--similar to the old men he encounters in Shalimar. Them, I think of as 40 (when really they are around 60 years old). Yet they are described as being able to overpower Milkman (at least, he thinks so). It seems like often in this book, the older you get, the more powerful you get-- not the other way around. And not just respect power-- I'm talking about the physical ability to overpower others. Sure, Macon is overpowered by Milkman when they are both 20 years younger, but most of the old guys can hold their own.
Milkman punching his dad brings me to my last observation about age in this novel. We have discused the characters living in the past, and I think this is a main reason why both they and us are compelled to think of them as eternally youthful. When Lena is ripping her brother apart with criticism, she refers to two incidents. One, punching Macon, happened 20 years prior to this confrontation! And yet she brings it up as if it had happened yesterday-- and he knows exactly what she is talking about. She also refers to the peeing incident, around 40 years ago! Milkman does not recall it, but the fact that a young Lena remembers the events as if it were yesterday says a lot to me about how the Dead family is rooted in the past, unable to fly away from it.