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.