Ruth and Hagar's Plight

In Chapter 5, Toni Morrison centers the passage around the individual plights of Ruth and Hagar. Although their struggles with men they love both concern Milkman, they are troubled differently. In an Ironic twist, they both spend an extreme amount of time attempting to gain attention, love, and admiration from Milkman, but ultimately; their attempts only draw them away from the independent lifestyle that they are capable of living. In effect, their plights are to overcome the dependency they have on the men in their lives.

In Hagar's case, her brake-up with Milkman (viewed as her abandonment,) has left her feeling worthless. Through these feelings, she now dependent on Milkman's attention in order to fully function properly and independently of him. She is stuck on reliving their relationship and these thoughts consume any time for personal growth. For Ruth, her love is maternal. She plays the role of the over concerned mother who overcrowds their child in an attempt to protect him from harm. Although her concern for Milkman seems selfless, this role is the one she feels more comfortable in. Without this title, she would feel lost and worthless in her own life, yet this is covered within her outward desire to assist Milkman. Ironically, this level of comfort stifles personal development in any direction other than maternally.

To prove the need for feminine independence from men, Toni Morrison uses Hagar and Ruth as prime examples of weak women whose existence relies on their relationships with men. Although both women's relationships with Milkman come from different directions, neither woman can feel whole without their dependence on a man. Although this message is hidden within the story, this is simply another of Morrison's political statements about the world in which we live.