Hagar, granddaughter of Pilate, is in LOVE with Milkman, who is only five years her junior. She has an obsession with him and has been since she was younger. Milkman, to Hagar, is “the man for whom she believed she had been born into the world” (127). Saddest part of all, Milkman views Hagar just as her Biblical name suggests. In the Bible, Hagar gave birth to the Abraham’s first son, Ishmael. Once Sarah, Abraham’s wife, finally is able to have a child, Hagar and Ishmael are sent away to the desert and abandoned by Abraham. Similarly, Hagar from the Song of Solomon is only cherished for sex, as Milkman never really sees her as a girlfriend. By the time Milkman is thirty one, he becomes bored of Hagar and ends his sexual relationship with her. While she was never truly loved by Milkman, being “dumped” by the only man she ever loved becomes her freaky obsession, causing her to be hyper focused and depressed on her separation from Milkman and want to kill him.
Hagar is a fascinating character. On one hand, I can’t help but to feel bad for her because of her pointless obsession and complete weakness for Milkman. On the other, though, I think she is crazy for wanting to kill Milkman and needs some help.
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