Judgement Call

In her 1977 novel, Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison, whose parents were deeply influenced by religion, recounts the history of a man, Solomon, and his flight and its ramifications on a town, Shalimar. Solomon overcame his enslavement by leaving his numerous children and wife back in Virginia while he flew back to Africa. Moreover, before his flight, Solomon attempted to bring his youngest son, Jake, with him. However, Solomon dropped the child and Jake, after having two children of his own: Macon and Pilate, was killed for his land. While reading the history of Solomon’s family, his flight, and the effects of his flight, the similarities between Solomon’s story and the Bible struck me. Therefore, as I believe these parallels exist, I pose the following question to Morrison: does Solomon’s represent a god to the people of Shalimar and Jake, a Jesus? A descendant of Jake, Milkman, celebrates that Solomon “‘left everyone down on the ground and he sailed’” (328).  Morrison employs a tone of awe to highlight that descendants of Solomon do not resent him for leaving them while he flew, but rather, they celebrate his flight. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of Solomon’s flight to the others’ place on the ground differentiates Solomon from society, and implies an almost divinity in his ability. Furthermore, Susan Byrd, who resides in Shalimar, admits that everyone in the town “claims kin to him [Solomon]” (322). Similar to the Christian belief that all are children of God, all members of the Shalimar town claim relation to Solomon. The novelist highlights this privilege to imply that the extreme reverence that the townspeople have for Solomon borders on worship. Moreover, Morrison highlights that the townspeople respect Solomon’s ability to fly as it gives them hope that they may overcome their struggles, a faith many Christians have in God. In addition, Jake’s history bears similarities to Jesus’. Following Jake’s murder and initially unsuccessful burial, hunters placed his corpse in a cave. However, after she unknowingly collected her father’s bones from the cave, Pilate receives constant “visits from him [Jake]” (245). Morrison employs the positive connotation of “visits” to imply that although the dead visit Pilate, she accepts her father’s ghost warmly. Similarly, the resurrection of Jesus enabled a greater faith in God, and Pilate’s visits from her father renew her interest in her family and its history. Lastly, when finally discovering his family’s history and his great-grandfather’s flight, Milkman feels “happy as…ever” (304). By highlighting the positive connotation of “happy” and the sheer joy that Milkman feels upon discovering the history of Solomon, Morrison implies that faith and hope make individuals happy. Overall, I question the religious parallels in Song of Solomon as I believe that Solomon does embody a god for Shalimar. However, I assert that their belief in him does not stem from lack of faith in God, as the townspeople are Christian, but rather from the desire to believe in the possibility of flight. 

The Girl and the $250 Shirt

A week ago, while on a mandatory trip to the King of Prussia Mall during a summer program at Penn, my friend commented on another shopper, a girl who also participated in our program. He pointed over in her direction and remarked, “That shirt she bought cost $250.” After rolling my eyes at the outrageous cost of the article of clothing, my friend continued, “See, Meghan, that’s why people think making a lot of money is so important; they want to buy an image.” Similarly, in her 1977 novel, Song of Solomon, Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison highlights the greed of both the wealthy and the poor following the discovery of a characters’ alleged possession of gold. Milkman, the son of a greedy landlord, Macon, and his poor friend, Guitar, decide to steal the gold from Macon’s sister, following persuasion from Macon. By discussing this situation, Morrison explains her view that individuals place too great of a value on money.  For example, when Milkman reveals the existence of the gold to Guitar, Morrison states that Guitar could not “resist the lure of…money” (181). The novelist emphasizes the denotation of “lure” to stress that due to the opportunities for a heightened status and lavish possessions that money provides, poor individuals, such as Guitar, value money. Similarly, when a disappointed Macon discovers that his son did not steal the gold from his sister, Milkman accuses his father of “‘thinking about that gold for 50 years’” (205). By noting Macon’s current prosperity, Morrison indirectly characterizes him as greedy and emphasizes the allure of money for the well-to-do. Furthermore, by employing a critical tone, the novelist assesses that individuals value money more than they should and condemns the greed that overprizing money causes. Moreover, Morrison highlights a conversation between Guitar and Milkman, in which Guitar confesses, “can’t nobody fly with all that s*** [jewelry, vanity]” (179). Morrison emphasizes her view of flight as a conquering of obstacles and refusal to submit individual power to stress that an obsession with money presents great ramifications. Namely, greed and obsession with status limits success and an individual’s power. Overall, I agree with Morrison and her view of the world. However, I amend that people do not overvalue money, but the sense of power they feel when they hold a $100 bill. But, like Morrison, I believe that this obsession prevents flight by creating dependence on those who can fuel the fixation. Specifically, the girl with the $250 shirt, whose father replenishes her debit account. 

The Raven

“they [Pilate, Reba, and Hagar] listened to what he [Milkman] said like bright-eyed ravens, trembling in their eagerness to catch and interpret every sound” (79).

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                In her 1977 novel, Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison, a Nobel Prize winner for her books on the black community, highlights the eccentric members of Milkman Dead’s family and society. Specifically, the novelist emphasizes Milkman’s perception of his family members based on their response to his acts and oddities. Unlike his immediate family, Milkman’s aunt, Pilate, and cousins, Reba and Hagar, question him rather than adopt a passive understanding to his actions. Morrison details the three women’s reactions to Milkman in a passage which highlights their unwavering desire to understand, which presents the manner in which I hope to live my life.  For example, Milkman compares the women’s listening to that of “bright-eyed ravens”. Morrison utilizes the perception of ravens as smart birds and their reputation for solving complex problems to indirectly characterize the women as intelligent and inquisitive. Moreover, the novelist emphasizes the ability of ravens to fly to highlight that the women’s zeal for understanding affords them the power to overcome obstacles in their lives. Similarly, Morrison highlights the women’s “eagerness to catch and interpret every sound”. Again, the novelist indirectly characterizes Milkman’s aunt and cousins as willing to understand, but she also emphasizes their greater desire for enlightenment on every aspect of Milkman’s character. Personally, I hope to live my life in the manner that this passage describes. As I value learning, I hope to always yearn for understanding and question the actions of not just my family members, but also others. Furthermore, I desire to shape my own perception of the world based on my observations of society and its members. Still, I desire most to exploit these characteristics to enable myself to overcome obstacles in my life and to fly by understanding the world to the best of my ability.