Songs of Solomon
The two musicians that Laura Dubek, in her article, credits as Morrison's inspiration for writing SOS, whose careers proved that black culture needed forms of expression outside of the rigid walls of the music industry.
Who are Solomon Burke and Nina Simone.
Sing and Macon jr.
What are mother and son?
This character cooked Milkman’s first perfect egg.
Who is Pilate
A system of society in which men (such as: Macon Dead, Milkman, and Guitar) hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.
What is a patriarchy?
Often used in religious worship, it acts as a mnemonic that keeps history and lessons alive in the minds of people who listen to it.
What is music?
Hagar and Milkman
What are second cousins?
This character stopped making roses in the progression of the novel.
Who is Magdalene called Lena
Male oppressor who physically, verbally, emotionally, and mentally abuses Ruth Foster-Dead.
Who is Macon Dead?
The character who self-actualizes after hearing a song sung by a group of children about his familial history and events of the previous decades.
Who is Milkman Dead?
Solomon and Reba
What are great-grandfather and great-grand daughter?
This character learns the truth of one’s life, and gains a sense of self during an evening hunting trip near Ryna’s Gulch.
Who is Milkman.
Strong woman that does not conform to society's gender norms and lives a life without the reliance on men.
Who is Pilate?
Spoken word, in the form of hynms and songs, that preserve Milkman's family history and stories about African-American culture.
What is Oral Writ // Oral Tradition?
Guitar and Magdalena-Called- Lena
What are not related?
In the second part of the novel, the protagonist meets a character in which “her smile was just like her name…”
Who is Sweet.
The women in Song of Solomon are treated differently and are upheld to different standards than the men, based off of their gender.
What is gender inequality?
A character that and has a mother named Sing Byrd, who explicitly tells Milkman that he needs to sing.
Who is Pilate?
Heddy and Cromwell
What are mother and son?
This characters name commands the protagonist of the novel to connect the missing links of their family history through Solomon’s Song.
Who is Sing.
According to Jing and Xia from their online article, Pilate lives a life without a husband, Ruth tricked Macon into conceiving a child together, Lena stood up to Milkman, and Corinthians left home to live a better life.
What is female resistance of the patriarchy?