The Importance Of Names In Song Of Solomon

There comes a point in time in an individual’s life in which their name truly becomes a part of their identity. A name is more than just a title to differentiate people; it is a part of the person. In Lost Names: Scenes from a Korean Boyhood by Richard E. Kim, names play a major role on the character’s identities. The absence and importance of the names in the story make the story rich with detail and identity through something as simple as the name of a character. Names are a significant factor affecting the story and the characters throughout the novel Lost Names.

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.

Personalities are not predetermined, but developed over time based on social commodities like family situations or lifestyles. Traumatic or memorable moments, like barbarity, also shape individuals’ character. In Song of Solomon, through Macon’s use of violence and the effect of brutality on Milkman, Toni Morrison reveals how cruelty and actions define roles in society and how it affects the characteristics of individuals.

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.

In Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, characters in the books have interesting and unusual names. But all of these names mean more than what they may seem on the surface. Some of them are based off of biblical stories, some are based on stories explained in the book itself, but they all have something in common: these names all tell a story about the character whose name it is. Milkman’s name reflects his childish characteristics. Pilate and Hagar’s biblical names are linked to not only biblical stories but also paint pictures about their actions in the story. In Song of Solomon, character names reveal or are representative of important characteristics about people in the book in differing ways.

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

In Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, Pilate Dead is labeled as the forbidden aunt in the novel; Macon regards her of little worth by calling her a snake. Yet she possesses a mystical quality that holds other characters in the book such as Macon Jr., Milkman and Guitar “spellbound” (37). Milkman Dead lives a life of higher status than that of his destitute aunt, yet he is drawn to Pilate and intrigued by her outlandish characteristics rather than being let down by her lack of a comfortable lifestyle. The gravitating pull Pilate has on Milkman is shown when Macon Jr. forbides Milkman from visiting his aunt. She is more appealing to Guitar and Milkman because of “all those unbelievable but entirely possible stories about his father's sister/ the woman his father had forbidden him to go near/ had both of them spellbound” (37). Pilate is like the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Her eccentric ways and the mere fact that she is forbidden to Milkman makes her all the more tempting. It is because of her strange ways that she is first introduced to Milkman, planting a seed to his self-discovery. Pilate’s mystical influence on Milkman grows stronger from the time they first meet at her house to the end of the novel where her transforming powers lead him to realize that it is because of her satisfaction with her lifestyle that she does not need to fly. Pilate’s association with nature imagery, her connection to her African origins, and her love of others, push Milkman to come to

Probably one of the most well-known books in the Western world is the Bible. There is a copy in many hotel drawers and almost every person has a general understanding of what the Bible says. The allusions that can come from the Bible, mentioned in Chapter Six, are almost endless, such as the garden, the devil, a Christ figure, great flood, seven days, 40 years, a betrayal, resurrection. Literary characters are given biblical names like Rebecca, Esther, and Jacob. Names are important in literature. They need to “carry whatever message the writer want[s] to convey about the character or the story.” If you come across a biblical name, pay close attention because it could be pointing you to something bigger. Foster also says that if a story is trying to allude to the Bible, it will “seem to be beyond the scope of the story’s or poem’s immediate dimensions.” In the story “Sonny’s Blues,” a character has a cup, like the cup of God’s fury. This is meant in the context of Sonny, who has been to jail and has had drug problems. The cup that he drinks from is representative of him straying from the straight and narrow path and possibly going back into his addictive behaviors. The cup also represents that the whole of America has drunk from the cup and could

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

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 pure whiteness of the beautiful bird drew the attention of everyone nearby. The strut of the bird added to its aura, making it seem like it was talking in slow motion. There was a pause and the bird tried to flap its wings and fly, but was rooted to the ground. Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, is a coming of age story following the life of Milkman Dead, who grows up in a wealthy household in a poor black community. Milkman lives in a bubble of isolation, which ultimately causes him to venture off and leave his home town. Milkman’s father, Macon Dead, spent his life building his real estate business up in hopes of leaving it to Milkman. While still at home

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.

People choose names for a reason, whether it is so that the child takes on a certain personality, based on who they are named after, or so that he or she may carry on the name of a beloved family member. Many names that are popular today are names from the Bible, since most of the biblical characters possess characteristics that parents would want their child to have. Names like Noah, Jacob, David, and Miriam, are names currently in the top 1000 child names in the world, and they are all biblical names. Names from the Bible are also found in many works of literature, like Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, a coming of age story about a young man during the mid twentieth century. The reader is introduced to multiple characters with biblical

   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).

The utilization of traditional and non-traditional gender roles in the novel “Song of Solomon” written by Toni Morrison shows the influences, expectations and impact that the gender roles have and place not only on the individual characters but on men and women in general and within the different communities.