1. When does Milkman first start to question his identity?

When Milkman's father shares his version of Ruth's relationship with her father, Milkman becomes enraged and asks, "Couldn't I be a whole man without knowing all that?" (76). But no, he cannot. The new information about his mother is one of many occurrences where the knowledge of family history could lead to self-awareness. Milkman begins to mature only as he becomes open to learning about the past, because it allows him to connect with a community and discover a sense of his own identity.