Friday, October 5, 2018
Abandonment in Song of Solomon
Flight is clearly an important motif in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, as the plot is filled with stories of men who leave their homes and go on journeys- men who do these things, and the women they leave behind. In this narrative, women are merely a stepping stool which the men use in their search for freedom and autonomy.
For example, when Milkman leaves his hometown in search of the gold, he leaves behind an enamored Hagar, which hurts her beyond repair. He needed Hagar's love and support until he didn't anymore, at which point he abandoned her. Death has also left women alone, such as when Guitar's father was killed and left his grandmother to take care of everything, or when Ruth's father died and left her with terrible grief.
It is interesting that Pilate, a woman, is the only one in the novel who can "fly without ever lifting her feet off the ground," or who can be free and independent without abandoning the ones she loves.
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Ashley, I never before thought about the roles of gender in this novel and I think you introduce a new level to the book for me. In SOS we think about the roles of racism or the roles of father and son, etc. but the role of gender should certainly be considered. I think specifically in this setting of Detroit, Michigan we see the male dominance in society. The females appear to be weaker, flatter characters - Ruth, Hagar, Corinthians- while the males are multifaceted with clear perspectives as they stand tall with power and influence (Milkman and Guitar, in particular). Even in Shalamir, the women are portrayed as only objects for Milkman's delight who do all the work in the town but take no credit. Pilate certainly stands out from these classic stereotypes because she herself can fly, while other women simply serve as a stool for the flight of men. ~Abby (she sent me something to post here because she could not get it to work on her computer)
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