How does the story of Mr. Smith’s “flight” off of the rooftop of Mercy Hospital help us to better understand the setting of the novel?

Chapter One begins with Mr. Smith's flight, or in other words, death. The themes of both death and flight represent the possibility of escape. Unfortunately, as Mr. Smith plummets to his death, his blue wings failing to carry him, he is only able to escape his life through death. His flight, therefore, was unsuccessful. As a young child, Macon also discovers that he cannot fly. His realization of being suffocated by his mother's needs and wants, and by feeling the oppression his father forces onto his family, Milkman feels trapped with no possibility of escape. The ongoing idea of flight also relates to the overall theme of freedom in African American tradition and literature. The concept of being free, a legally free man or woman, or searching for a way to acquire that freedom is oftentimes expressed through flight. The fact that Mr. Smith's flight had a negative outcome reflects on the current situation of the novel's characters.