Overview
With the commercial success of Song of Solomon (1977), Toni Morrison’s third novel, Morrison left her job as an editor for Random House and, as she states, “finally began to call myself a writer.” The novel is about Milkman (Macon III) Dead, an aimless, disillusioned, alienated young Black man who embarks on a journey to find gold and ends up finding something much more valuable: his family’s historical and cultural roots and self-understanding. Song of Solomon is Morrison’s first novel with a male protagonist. When asked why she chose a male protagonist for the novel, Morrison responded, “Because I thought he had more to learn than a woman would have.”
Morrison stated in an interview that in writing the novel, the question that she was interested in answering was: “How does a young Black man (20s, 30s) learn how to become a complete human being without a self-destructive impulse for material things? . . . What would help inform him?” She was also interested in “trying to combine upper mobility and middle-class bourgeois with some kind of respect and reverence for the ancestors.” Former President Barack Obama listed Song of Solomon as one of six “great books” that “helped me figure out who I am and what I believe.” Former First Lady Michelle Obama, when asked what her favorite book in the library of the Obama Presidential Center was, answered: “Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison.”
Song of Solomon begins in 1931, the day before Milkman is born, and ends with his spiritual liberation at the age of 32. The “present day action” takes place in 1963-64 in Michigan—presumably Detroit—Danville, Pennsylvania, and Shalimar, Virginia. With forays into the past, the novel covers nearly a century of the Dead family’s history. In this narrative of a particular Black family and a particular Black community, Song of Solomon explores the universal themes of love and identity and the universal condition of the African American community and its inhabitants.
The first and last chapters of the novel focus on the motif of flight, which gives the book the circularity that is—along with the nonlinear narrative structure—a trademark strategy of Morrison’s writing. Chapter 11 is written as a bildungsroman, or hero’s quest. The motifs of flight, naming, and song/singing, undergird the novel’s exploration of identity, heritage, freedom, and the African American experience. Literary critics have described Song of Solomon as the “most literary of Morrison’s novels,” with “themes that are embedded in a complex network of literary allusions”: Black oral tradition, the Bible, Greek mythology, and West African mythology. Drawing on a variety of stories, myths, and legends, the novel centers on two key stories: the Yoruba folktale of the flying Africans and “Song of Solomon” or “Song of Songs,” the twenty-second book of the Old Testament.
According to Morrison, Song of Solomon is about a man who “learns to fly and all that that means. But it’s also about the ways in which we discover, all of us, who and what we are. And how important and truly exciting that journey is.”
Background Knowledge and Historical Contexts
The optional readings and videos below provide some historical context which may be useful when reading the novel.
- The Flying Africans Myth: The Flying Africans: Returning Home in African American Folklore | TheCollector
- Song of Solomon – Song of Songs: Book of Song of Songs Summary | Christianity.com
- The Freedman Bureau: Freedmen’s Bureau – Definition, Purpose & Act | HISTORY
- Black Arts Movement: What Is the Black Arts Movement? Seven Things to Know | National Gallery of Art
Questions/Topics to Consider While Reading
- Family, Legacy, and Heritage: How does Milkman’s family history shape his identity, and what role does it play in his overall journey? How does the disintegration of Milkman and Guitar’s relationship reflect the disintegration of Macon and Pilate’s relationship? Why is Guitar a threat to Milkman’s personal growth? Why does Macon refer to Pilate as a “snake”? Why is Pilate a threat to Macon’s way of life? Why does Macon secretly listen to Pilate and her family singing, and what does that reveal about their connection to heritage? How does the character of Pilate function in the novel? What does she represent, and how does she contribute to Milkman’s journey toward self-discovery?
- Community: How are Macon and his family regarded in the community? How does each family member react/respond to this treatment? Pilate exists on the fringes of her community. What does her outsider status reveal about the values and contradictions of the community? How do you interpret Corinthians character and her decision to immerse herself in the Black community? What message does Morrison convey about belonging? What does Milkman ultimately learn about community on his journey?
- Gender and Relationships: How does Morrison depict women’s experiences—especially Hagar, Ruth, and Pilate—in relation to men in the novel? In what ways do the women resist or accept their limitations? Compare and contrast Pilate and Ruth. How does each of them treat Milkman? How does belonging to different economic classes affect their relationship with each other? Explore Morrison’s portrayal of romantic relationships in the novel by considering the relationships between Milkman and Hagar; Macon and Ruth; Milkman and Sweet; or Porter and First /Corinthians. What is Morrison’s primary message concerning love and sex in terms of traditional versus non-traditional unions?
- History, Race/Racism, and America: What is the relationship between whites and blacks in Song of Solomon? What does the novel reveal about Morrison’s attitude toward race relations in America? How does poverty influence participation in the Seven Days? Although the group is motivated by racism rather than economic injustice, why are all of its members poor? Song of Solomon includes numerous references or allusions to historical events, institutions, movements, people, documents—the role of Blacks in the military, the Freedman’s Bureau, The Emancipation Proclamation, the Black Arts Movement, the Great Migration, and systemic racism. These events, etc., are often excluded from or glossed over in history textbooks. Why do you think Morrison includes these particular references and allusions in the novel and how does she develop them? What vision of America does Morrison offer us in Song of Solomon?
- Identity and Naming: The importance of names is a prevalent theme in the novel. Explore the significance of the characters’ and places’ names in the novel (the surname Dead, the surname Bains, Milkman, Pilate, Hagar, Reba (Rebecca), Solomon, Circe, Sing, Ruth, Magdelena, First Corinthians, Lincoln’s Heaven). What is the significance of some characters having more than one name? What lessons does Milkman learn on his journey south? How do these lessons help him cope with life, deal with personal relationships, and appreciate his spiritual inheritance?
- Themes, Motifs, and Symbolism: Explore the significance of the following motifs and symbols in the novel: flight, singing, the white peacock, the white bull, gold, artificial roses, water/rain, the cedar tree. Explore how the following tropes function in the novel: the watermark on Ruth’s table, Lincoln’s Heaven, Pilate’s brass earring, Macon II’s ring of keys, Mr. Smith’s “little yellow house,” the red velvet rose petals.
- Morrison’s Writing Style: Why do you think Morrison opens the novel with a man jumping off a building? What do you think motivated Robert Smith’s suicide, and what does this opening symbolize? What is each character’s purpose in the novel? How do their experiences and actions further the novel’s dominant themes? What is the significance of the “Song of Solomon” in the novel, and how does it relate to themes of identity, family, and self-discovery? Consider the novel’s ambiguous ending. Does Milkman die on his “flight” across Solomon’s Leap, or does he “soar” as a result of his newfound faith? Which references in the novel support your conclusion? Why do you think Morrison leaves the issue unresolved? What is the ideological agenda embedded in the novel? Is there a moral lesson to be learned from Song of Solomon? If so, what is it?
