Toni Morrison, Song of Solomon

* I have put notes to instructors in brackets throughout

Key Themes in Song of Solomon:

• SEARCH FOR IDENTITY—a QUEST
• Blindness [misinterpretation of self and others due to selfishness] and sight
• relationship of individual success and responsibility to community: success vs. selling out
• Masculinity and manhood. The novel is dedicated to “Daddy” and if you look at the Foreward, you will see that although Toni Morrison usually writes about women’s lives, she was inspired to write this novel after her father died—wanted to reflect on the lives of African-American men
• Freedom from bondage—symbolic images of flying/flight as escape, freedom, and transcendence (rising above) and a return to the ancestral homeland of Africa
• Going back to go forward: finding your roots (ancestry) to find yourself. Gaining flight by digging into roots (routes via roots)
• Significance of NAMING to identity: “Dead” family; “Milkman”; “Pilate;” “Not Doctor Street”
• Morrison explores deeply flawed and human characters who are a mixture of both the good and the bad, and sometimes its hard to tell which is which. She writes of people we fear, we dismiss, we despise—Morrison invites us to walk in these character’s shoes, and it is a difficult task, because these characters are not saints.
• Morrison sets black community as the center of the novel and as apart from the white world outside, but the novel is framed by Jim Crow segregation
• Takes place in Chicago’s South Side but Milkman Dead’s father, Macon Dead and his aunt Pilate Dead, migrated from rural Virginia/Pennsylvania: a narrative of migration. African-American history has been a history of movement, of journeys, of migration—a diasporic culture. From the Middle Passage, to the attempts of slaves to escape the South on the Underground Railroad to the North.
• Published in 1977, after the Civil Rights Era but it takes place during the era of Jim Crow segregation and the Civil Rights era. Novel opens in 1931 when Milkman Dead is born, and there are flashbacks to his father and grandfather’s lives; the main action of the novel takes place in 1963 when Milkman Dead is 32 years old—1963- heart of the Civil Rights movement, and same year as the bombing of the Birmingham church that killed four little black girls.

Formal Essay Assignment Ideas/Connections to other Columbia Core at Hostos texts

In Oedipus, we saw how the Oedipus was blind to many truths in his life. In what ways is Milkman Dead blind to truths about himself and his relationships with others? How does he grow as a character throughout the novel and what lessons does he learn?

In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men keep trying to get home but they sabotage their own progress because of greed and other character flaws. How do the characters in Song of Solomon similarly sabotage themselves? Do you agree with the idea that we as humans are our own worst enemy?

In Dante’s Inferno, Virgil was Dante’s guide through the Underworld. In Song of Solomon, Milkman has a number of female guides or teachers. How do these guides teach Milkman to grow out of his infancy and become an adult man? For instance, Pilate Dead, Circe, Hagar?

Milkman travels south seeking gold and power but he finds something different. What does Milkman find out about himself and his ancestry on his journey? In what ways is this journey a quest for self-knowledge?

Compare and contrast Milkman Dead’s journey of self-discovery with the quest of Odysseus, Dante, or Oedipus.

In what ways is Milkman Dead a flawed hero? What are his flaws? Compare and contrast with Odysseus or Oedipus.

In Dante’s Inferno, we encountered the concept of contrapasso, which is the idea that the punishment fits the crime. Do you see contrapasso at work in Song of Solomon? What are the character’s crimes and is their punishment fitting?

Chapters 1-2

Discussion Questions

As a class, watch this clip of novelist Toni Morrison talking about Song of Solomon: https://youtu.be/RTAQHbLFi84 What did you learn about the novel from this clip? Based on what Morrison said, what themes may be important in the novel?

Read aloud from the opening passage and discuss: As a reader, why is this opening scene confusing or disorienting? What questions do you have about the characters or what is happening? What images do you find striking or intriguing? [Song of Solomon begins in media res: this is a literary term that means “in the middle.” In other words, we as readers enter the story in the middle, without any background set-up. This can be confusing because we see characters and images without knowing who they are or why they are significant. Toni Morrison chose to begin the story this way, perhaps to throw us off and make us curious. But in this opening scene, we encounter many of the central characters of the novel who we will see again and this opening scene will make more sense later.]

The novel begins with an image of flight. In the note he posts on his door, Robert Smith, an insurance agent, promises to “take off from Mercy and fly away on my own wings. Please forgive me. I loved you all.” Does Robert Smith literally fly away? [Note that while the novel takes place in a realistic setting, there are magical elements.]

On page 4, Morrison describes the place where her characters live: Not Doctor Street, on the South Side of Chicago. What is the significance of the name “Not Doctor Street”? What does it suggest to us about the power of language or naming?

After reading Chapters 1-2, go back to the beginning scene. What do you notice about the opening, after reading further? Do you recognize any characters? For example, on pages 5-7, we encounter the “singing woman” and “the doctor’s daughter” who is also known as “the rose-petal lady.” On page 9, the singing woman tells the rose-petal lady, “A little bird’ll be here in the morning.” Who are these characters and who is the “little bird” they reference?

Read aloud the description of Macon Dead’s father’s homestead on page 51. What is the significance of land ownership for his father, a former slave? How does the land define him as a man? How has the story of his father’s homestead and his father’s terrible fate shaped Macon Jr., as a property owner? [Note that the homestead was located in Pennsylvania, not the Deep South].

A literary foil is a character who contrasts strongly with another character. In what ways is Pilate Dead a foil to Macon? How are they opposites? [As a moonshine maker who lives in a “shack,” not “respectable” or concerned with middle-class bourgeoisie respectability; matriarchal household is full of energy, life, sensuality, generosity of spirit; she is a wise “seer” rather than blind like Macon and Milkman; a magical ancestral figure who teaches Milkman; associated with flight since her name sounds like “pilot”; a singer; being in her home makes Milkman “completely happy” (47); on the other hand, Morrison criticizes patriarchy, middle-class values, and the nuclear family structure through her portrayal of Macon Dead’s household ]

Discuss what this quote suggests about Milkman Dead and his point of view: “Mr. Smith’s blue silk wings must have left their mark, because when the little boy discovered, at four, the same thing that Mr. Smith had learned earlier—that only birds and airplanes could fly—he lost all interest in himself. To have to live without that single gift saddened him and left his imagination so bereft that he appeared dull even to the women who did not hate his mother” (9)

Small Group Activities:

1. After reading Chapters 1-2, make a family tree of all main characters on the board; split students into groups and ask them to list what we know so far about these characters and any questions we have; map on the board:

• Macon Dead [whose father was the first Macon Dead, so named when he registered as a citizen after the Civil War] married to Ruth Dead [whose father was Dr. Foster, the Doctor of Not Doctor Street]
• Children of Macon and Ruth: Milkman [Macon Jr.], First Corinthians, Magdalene called Lena
• Pilate Dead [sister of Macon], her daughter Reba, Reba’s daughter Hagar
• by Macon Dead]
• Freddie [Macon Dead’s flunkie]

2. Ask students in small groups to read and analyze key passages that reveal Macon Dead’s character:

• Page 17 on keys
• Pages 20-21 treatment of his sister Pilate
• Pages 21-22 treatment of Guitar Bain’s grandmother
• Page 31 on the Packard automobile

Follow up small group activity with whole class discussion: What do these passages show about Macon Dead’s character and what he values? What kind of father and role model is Macon Dead for his son, Milkman? What kind of leader or authority figure in his community?

Informal Writing Prompts (in class or for homework; to be used as the basis for discussion)

Macon Dead gives Milkman this advice, from father to son: “Let me tell you right now the one important thing you’ll ever need to know: Own things. And let the things you own own other things. Then you’ll own yourself and other people too. Starting Monday, I’m going to teach you how” (55). What does this quote reveal about Macon Dead’s values? Is there anything ironic or troubling about his philosophy of life, given his identity as a Black American?

[To Macon, manhood = power = ownership, which is ironic since he is a descendent of slaves who were property and did not own themselves; Morrison is suggesting a critique of the American Dream and materialism through her portrayal of Macon].

The family’s last name is Dead. In what ways are Macon and his wife and children metaphorically “dead” and living in a kind of Underworld? Give at least one specific example from the novel as evidence for your position.

What does it mean to be a “sell-out”? Does a successful person owe anything to the community they came from? As a landlord and property owner, is Macon Dead a “sell-out” or a “success” in terms of his relationship to the black community? Give at least one specific example from the novel as evidence for your position.

Chapter 3

Discussion Questions/ Informal Writing Prompts

Milkman Dead is the protagonist of the novel. On pages 13-15, we learn how Milkman got his name. His name suggests that he is like an infant, even when he grows up. What does it mean to be like a baby? What are some of the characteristics of babies?

Song of Solomon is a “coming of age” novel about the process of growing up and reaching maturity. What does it mean to be an adult? In what ways is Milkman still like a child in the first section of the novel?

Do you see any references to the Greek tragedy Oedipus in terms of Milkman’s relationship to his mother and father?

In Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison references the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. What do you know about the murder of Emmett Till?

As a a class, view this Eyes on the Prize documentary clip on the 1955 murder of Emmett Till: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8QXNyCvDP4 * Please note that at 5:27 there is an extremely graphic image of the mutilated face of Emmett Till; instructors should watch the full video clip before deciding whether to use it in the classroom

The men in the barbershop are like a chorus in an ancient Greek tragedy, voicing their perspectives on the murder of Emmett Till. How does Milkman Dead respond to the news of Till’s murder, compared to other men? Read aloud from P 80-81, P 87-88. In your view, what does his reaction show about Milkman?

The figure of Lady Justice is portrayed as blindfolded, meaning that justice is objective and unbiased. However, in Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison portrays Milkman Dead as blind in the sense of being unwilling and unable to face realities around him, and thus unable to reckon with the meaning of justice. In what ways is Milkman blind to the reality of life as a black man in America?

Chapters 4-6

Discussion Questions/ Informal Writing Prompts

On pages 154-160, Guitar Bains explains the secret organization known as the Seven Days to Milkman and identifies Robert Smith (see opening scene) and Henry Porter as members of the group. In your own words, what is the purpose of this group and how does it work?

Discuss Guitar’s statement about the Seven Days: “What I’m doing ain’t about hating white people. It’s about loving us. About loving you. My whole life is love” (159).

Guitar asserts, “If there was anything like or near justice or courts when a cracker kills a Negro, there wouldn’t have to be no Seven Days. But there ain’t; so we are” (160). The Seven Days does not follow Dr. Martin Luther King’s message of nonviolent resistance to racial injustice. They do not “turn the other cheek.” Rather, they believe in “an eye for an eye.” Is what the Seven Days does a form of justice? Is the Seven Days a logical, rational response to the American justice system?

Love and the strange ways that people act on love are an important theme for Toni Morrison: “The lengths to which lost love drove men and women never surprised them. They had seen women pull their dresses up over their heads and howl like dogs for lost love” (128).

What kinds of love are there? [Romantic parent/child, friendship, obsession, unrequited, self-love, love gone sour, etc)]

Small Group Activity: Assign each group a specific character, then map responses on the board. What or who does each of the following characters love: Milkman, Hagar, Macon, Guitar, Ruth, Pilate, First Corinthians?

Chapters 7-9

Discussion Questions/ Informal Writing Prompts

The novel offers two different ideas about the theme of flight. On page 179, Guitar tells Milkman why a peacock can’t fly: “Too much tail. All that jewelry weighs it down. Like vanity. Can’t nobody fly with all that shit. Wanna fly, you gotta give up the shit that weighs you down.” On page 208, Pilate quotes the ghost of her father: “You just can’t fly on off and leave a body.” By this, Pilate says: “He meant that if you take a life, then you own it. You responsible for it. You can’t get rid of nobody by killing them.” How do these quotes about flight and responsibility relate to the characters, especially Milkman?

In Oedipus, we saw how the Oedipus was blind to many truths in his life. In what ways is Milkman Dead blind to the truth? What is the difference between being self-centered and self-aware? For example, on pages 214-216, Magdalene called Lena confronts Milkman and recalls how he accidentally urinated on her as a boy. She says he has been “peeing on” Lena and First Corinthians for their whole lives—what does she mean by this? How has Milkman been blind to the lives of the women around him?

Chapters 10-11

Discussion Questions/ Informal Writing Prompts

Like Odysseus and Dante, Milkman Dead navigates strange and unfamiliar lands on his journey south. Is he well-prepared for this journey? Does he know how to enlist help from the people he encounters? How does his continuing blindness and lack of self-knowledge handicap him? See pages 227, 255, and 265-266.

What does Milkman realize on pages 234-235 and 238 about what his life has been missing? How does this turning point change his point of view?

Toni Morrison makes reference to The Odyssey with her character Circe. As a kind of teacher or guide, how does Circe help Milkman in his journey of self-discovery? What useful information does she give him about his ancestors?

Milkman repeatedly misunderstands other characters. How does he misunderstand Circe on page 247? According to Circe, why does he keep misinterpreting what other people tell him? What does she try to teach him?

Does Circe exercise a form of justice on the plantation of her masters? See page 247. [She offers another model for black resistance: destroying the house from within.]

When the older men of Shalimar take Milkman on a hunt at night, up in Rhyna’s Gulch, how does Milkman begin to become self-aware rather than self-centered? In the dark of the forest, how does he begin to overcome his metaphoric blindness and gain insight?

Chapters 12-13

Discussion Questions/ Informal Writing Prompts

Milkman listens to the children of Shalimar singing a traditional rhyme and realizes “These children were singing a story about his own people!” (304). What is the significance of this song for Milkman? Why is he excited?

Read Julius Lester’s “People Who Could Fly.” How has Toni Morrison adapted this black folktale in her novel?

In classical Greek mythology, there is a story about Icarus, whose father Daedalus builds him a set of wings made of feathers and wax. Daedelus warns Icarus against flying too high but Icarus cannot resist flying close to the sun. The wax on his wings melts and Icarus falls into the sea and dies. The story of Icarus suggests the danger of pride. How does the ancient story of Icarus compare to the myth of the Flying African referenced in Song of Solomon?

As Milkman gains more self-awareness, what kind of regrets does he feel about his relationships with his loved ones? See page 300-301.

While Milkman has started to grow and change and realize his mistakes, what has happened to Hagar? What does this suggest about the responsibility we have toward other people? What are the consequences of the quest for those who get left behind? [May want to compare to Penelope in The Odyssey; even though Milkman has started to change and realize the error of his ways, Hagar is still destroyed by his earlier carelessness and cruelty. As he rises, she is falling apart.]

Why does Hagar give herself a make-over? See pages 310-313. What does this scene suggest about race, beauty, and self-worth?

Chapter 14

Discussion Questions/ Informal Writing Prompts

Looking closely at pages 322-333, track Milkman’s changing feelings about his flying ancestor, Solomon. How does the story of Solomon empower Milkman? How does the story make him regretful about his own choices?

How have Macon Dead’s values prevented Milkman from understanding himself and others—and from taking flight?

How does Milkman make amends for the wrongs he has done? How does he give Pilate closure on her own story? See page 333.

In your view, why does Guitar shoot Pilate? In what ways does Guitar misunderstand Pilate?

Milkman says of Pilate, “Without ever leaving the ground, she could fly” (336). What gives Pilate this transcendent ability?

Song of Solomon begins and ends with images of flight. The ending of the novel is purposely ambiguous and open-ended. Read the final passage on pages 336-337. What do you think happens to Milkman Dead? Is there justice in the way the story ends? And how would you characterize the mood of the conclusion: is it uplifting? Tragic?