The Song of Solomon is a novel published in 1977 and written by author, Toni Morrison. The story follows a young African American boy living in Michigan and all the struggles that come of it. The novel starts with the main character, Macon Dead III, as a young boy who is still breast feeding from his mother. He breastfeeds long through his toddler years and thus is given the nickname, “Milk Man”. The fact that Macon was breastfed until an older age is important information, because it helps to define his relationship with his mother. Milk Man and his relationship with his mother, and women in general, play a significant role in the development of the plot. The main question of the novel is, however, does the man make the name or does the name …show more content…
His mother, Ruth Foster Dead, is an extremely powerful and strong willed woman throughout the entire novel. The relationship that Ruth has with the men in her life is a truly unique depiction of women in literature. Macon’s mother tends to be domineering and controlling of the men in her life. However, Macon’s sister is the complete opposite type of personality of his mother. Pilate, Macon’s sister, is portrayed as being a kind and gentle woman who becomes soft and nurturing in her relationship with Macon. This is a great reference for literature that has opposing characters that surround a foundational character. The children were all raised to look out for them and learn how to take care of one’s self since they were children. This causes distance to grow between the siblings. There is a theme of death being what cuts the main characters free from the troubles, challenges, and strife of living and growing up in their particular …show more content…
Many of the names were chosen from the bible on the day of a child’s birth. This sort of “leaving it up to God” shows a certain level of faith on the part of the parents which often results in awkward, and unfitting names. Among these names are Pilate, First Corinthians, and Magdalene. Magdalene of course references Mary of Magdalene, who Jesus saved from a stoning and who went on to become one of Jesus’ most loyal followers. Because we don’t see much of Magdalena called Lena in the novel, it is hard to know if any of the characteristics of Mary of Magdalene are transposed onto her. The use of the phrase “Magdalena called Lena” is also reminiscent of the phrasing in the bible in names like “Simon called Peter” or “Jesus of Nazareth.” Lena’s sister, First Corinthians was also named using the bible method. According to Wikipedia, First Corinthians is a book written to the people of Corinth, Greece from Paul of Tarsus. The book contains some of the best known phrases in the New Testament such as, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child I felt as a child, I thought as a child.” This quote seems relevant due to Corinthian’s feelings about her relationship with Henry Porter. Despite her middle age, Corinthians goes to great lengths to hide her relationship much like a teenager does. This is an example of a person who is not a child but still continues to speak, feel, and think as a child. Pilate also does not seem to
Although Milkman was too young to fully understand the implications, it set forth a feeling of confused shame that would be rehashed at a later age and that would have him questioning his mother’s actions as a ‘traditional mother’. Freddie looked upon the situation through the eyes of his own experience of manhood, ideals and thought process and insinuated “Milkman” as being a ‘boob man’ instead of a child receiving nourishment and bonding with his mother. In doing so, he also placed a subconscious learned idea of the expectation of manhood in the boys’ head at a very early age. Another result of Freddie’s interaction and comments that day placed a label on the young child as the “milkman” that would follow him all the way through to adulthood and indeed a perception of him being a ‘boob man’ and also as Ruth being inappropriate in her traditional role as a mother.
Milkman experiences many changes in behavior throughout the novel Song of Solomon. Until his early thirties most would consider him self centered, or even self-loathing. Until his maturity he is spoiled by his mother Ruth and sisters Lena and Corinthian because he is a male. He is considered wealthy for the neighborhood he grew up in and he doesn't socialize because of this.
Growing up is a journey, to be specific it 's a journey in a maze. We go around in different directions in hopes to find out who we indeed are. Left to right in every direction we run into things that change our mindset and by the end of the maze, we are entirely different people. Most mazes have doors; open one door new beginning, shut another end of that chapter. Specific events in life alter our young minds, and we tend to grow from these experiences. Personal and social encounters come our way and turn us into adults. Milkman in the novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison goes through various incitements and awakenings that force him to change his ways and enhance his
The abandonment and betrayal of women has been seen throughout history and novels, including Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison. Morrison uses the relationship of Macon Dead II and Ruth to express this in her book. Morrison also expresses how women are to reliant on their men for support, she uses Pilate to show this. Macon Dead II and Ruth are married and the parents of Milkman, the protagonist of the novel. The novel starts out in 1931, the birth of Milkman and narrates his life till about 1962. They are a middle to lower class African American family living in Michigan. The theme abandonment of women is shown through the relationship of Macon Dead II and
People often admire and yearn for the natural state of bliss a child has due to their ignorance of what 's going on around them. Although it is said that ignorance is bliss, but it is not always a good thing. As an adolescent, that bliss works to your advantage, but as a person gets older it only hinders your growth. Most times one does not know that they have remained stagnant until it has become known. In the novel Song of Solomon, by Tori Morrison, Milkman was unaware of his current state until it was made known to him.As a result, he unconsciously came of age through inner and external revelations.
Toni Morrison’s novel, Song of Solomon, encompasses many themes that were prevalent in the other novels written in the same time period. Morrison produced this novel in 1977 just as racial issues and discrimination were at its peaks. “She [Morrison] was the first African American to receive the Noble Prize in Literature.” (Milliman 5) However, the setting of the story is in the 1930s when World War II was taking place. The novel is based on an African-American family residing in Michigan who are victims of racism and social discrimination. The story focuses on Milkman Dead, the main character, who is naïve and leaves his family and friends behind to become an independent, wealthy upperclassman. “Milkman discovers the intricacies of his
Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison, is about a man named Macon Dead. Throughout this novel, however, he is known by all except his father as Milkman because his mother breastfed him until he was in his teens. The novel centers on Milkman's attempt to find himself. His family is a wealthy black family living in a poor black neighborhood, where Milkman's father prohibits Milkman from interacting with most of them, including his aunt. However, he ends up visiting her, and while there, he learns a little about his family's mysterious past and decides to look deeper into it. Throughout his journey into his past, one may notice a large amount of biblical allusions.
Guitar Bains has been Milkman's best friend since they were children. The two share many memories and through them developed a strong bond. As Guitar and
Maturity comes with experiences in life. Some are exposed to those events early while others encounter them in their adulthood. These transitions cause character development within the protagonist, Milkman Dead. In the bildungsroman, or coming of age, novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Milkman evolves from an ignorant and selfish being to a responsible and caring man. While trying to become an independent man, he both socially and personally developed.
The African American families in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon present abnormality and dysfunction. Normalcy, seen in common nuclear families, is absent. The protagonist, Milkman, is shaped by his dysfunctional relationships with parental figures.
It can be said that Song of Solomon is bildungsroman which is defined by The Encyclopedia Britannica as “a class of novel that deals with the [coming-of-age or] formative years of an individual”. Furthermore, in a bildungsroman, a main protagonist usually undergoes some transformation after seeking truth or philosophical enlightenment. In Morrison’s novel, the plot follows the main protagonist Milkman as he matures within his community while developing relationships with others and discovering his individual identity. In an essay titled Call and Response, Marilyn Sanders Mobley notes that “What Song of Solomon does ultimately is suggest that a viable sense of African American identity comes from responding to alternative constructions of
As people grow up, they shape their opinion of themselves as well as their opinion of others around them. These opinions morph over time into self-worth and value. In Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon,” her characters all carry great amounts of influence on one another. Ruth Dead, mother of the protagonist Milkman Dead, lives her life passively and often finds herself at her father’s grave pondering about life. When Milkman approaches her one day about her habits, she responds with a story about his upbringing and her own. Throughout this conversation (p.p.g 124-126) Morrison defines character as being composed of the type of influence one has on others around them. This is explored through Ruth’s changing perspective on her own character as well as the qualities of Pilate and
Song of Solomon tells the story of Dead's unwitting search for identity. Milkman appears to be destined for a life of self-alienation and isolation because of his commitment to the materialism and the linear conception of time that are part of the legacy he receives from his father, Macon Dead. However, during a trip to his ancestral home, “Milkman comes to understand his place in a cultural and familial community and to appreciate the value of conceiving of time as a cyclical process”(Smith 58).
In Chapter 12 of Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Milkman makes an offhand comment on the children playing the game depicting his family’s history, reporting: “The boy in the middle… (it seemed always to be a boy) spun around with his eyes closed… pointing” (Morrison 299). Like the boy at the center of the circle, Milkman blindly points his attention and “hog’s gut” in the direction of the women around him, causing them nothing but pain (216). His behavior is symptomatic of the possessive masculinity he exercises, courtesy of his father and in direct competition with the softer masculinity his aunt Pilate offers.
Firstly, we can find meaning in Rebekka’s choice in name for her daughter. Patrician, meaning a person of high noble rank, or an aristocrat. Rebekka’s love for Patrician is unconditional, and her death tears Rebekka apart. Rebekka proclaims this love, saying, “And then watched Patrician, her firstborn, who reached the age of five and provided a happiness Rebekka could not believe, lie in her arms for two days before dying from a