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Post by patricktbutenhoff on Apr 25, 2014 15:22:28 GMT
Biblical allusions are a huge part of Song of Solomon: they lend the novel its name as well as characterize many of the characters in the story, such as Pilate, Ruth, and Hagar. Incidentally, Macon, the name of the protagonist, doesn't appear anywhere in the Bible. How does Toni Morrison use Biblical allusions and names to create meaning and effect?
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Post by yongkim on Apr 28, 2014 8:34:35 GMT
Right off the bat, we know that the title of Morrison's book, Song of Solomon, is also the same title of the last book in the Old Testament. As Patrick already mentioned, the character names in the novel are also used in the Bible. So why the parallel? I did some comparisons between the biblical characters and characters within Morrison's novel.
Unlike A Wild Sheep Chase in which character names were not all that important, names are especially significant for each character in Song of Solomon. In the Bible, Pontius Pilate is the male Roman governor who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Pilate is a name that is associated with power, strength, and cruelty in biblical terms. Pilate, in Morrison's novel, is seen as a selfless woman who is really incapable of being cruel in any way. When Hagar answers affirmatively that she has had a hungry day in her life, Morrison reveals, "Pilate spit her twig into the palm of her hand. Her face went still... Pilate's face was still as death" (48-49). Pilate feels this great amount of pain and is on the verge of being brought to tears because her granddaughter has had days in which she wanted more food. Pilate Dead, as seen mostly in Chapter 5 (lawlz sorry I know this is past pg 89), has the power to redirect and guide others, especially in the scene when she calms the hatred between Ruth and Hagar. Although Pilate Dead is different than her biblical reference in that she is not cruel, there is a parallel between the Bible and Morrison's novel due to the amount of strength and power Pilate possesses. As a result, I believe Toni Morrison uses Biblical allusions in order to give her characters the history of a biblical namesake and build upon their historical (biblical) backgrounds.
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Post by cassiecumberland on Apr 28, 2014 19:07:19 GMT
Being specific about the title in terms of biblical references, Song of Solmon is an extremely vivid and artistic representation of what love, the loss of virginity, and commitment looks like in the eyes of female lover. Vividly, the author describes the desire and need that she has for her "king." Again and again, she promises her vineyards and many fields to her lover. In return, after the consummation of their marriage, the woman is still incredibly happy about her relationship. She ponders the loss of her chastity, but overall knows that with this love, her change was fantastical.
With that in mind, I question what Song of Solomon will bring to the table. It's an incredibly bold move for Morrison to try and recreate, emulate, include, or even grasp the notion of the beautifully poetic Biblical story in her book. Possibly, the entirety of incest stems from the Biblical Song of Solmon's women character wishing that her lover was her brother so that people wouldn't worry so much about their intimate relationship. I wonder, however, if she means brother in Christ, or literal blood-related brother. Or her cousin, or something else. The ambiguity of this "brother" idea is matched with the ideas of why there is so much accepted incest within Morrison's book.
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Kasey
New Member
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Post by Kasey on Apr 29, 2014 4:27:16 GMT
One of (if not the) most powerful moments for me in the novel so far is the birth of Pilate. The symbolism of Macon Dead I naming his newborn daughter after the man who called for the crucifixion of Jesus is something that speaks heavily to Pilate's developing character, and to Macon Dead I, who we never meet. Part of it is that it paints Pilate as evil before we even truly know her...which proves to be less than true. Although she does fit into the "magic ethnic character" archetype. Hmm...
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Post by pjharris on Apr 29, 2014 5:45:47 GMT
While reading this book the character Ruth stood out to me, particularly for her name. Ruth in the Bible is known as a "woman of noble character", known to be the ancestor of Jesus through his father Joseph. Ruth, now widowed, vowed to follow her widowed mother-in-law, Naomi, to return to Bethlehem, "And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me." Ruth 1:16-17 KJV. This kind of loyalty and familial connection reminds me of Ruth very strongly in Morrison's novel. It resembles, though in a less creepy light, her attachment to her father in his death and her son. Ruth (from the Bible) married into Naomi's family when she relocated from Bethlehem due to famine, lost her husband, her husbands brother and her father in law and remarried Boaz later (together they bore the son Obed which is where the genealogy towards Christ begins) which makes me speculate on what turmoil is in store for the character Ruth, if it truly emulates the Biblical stories. Or, perhaps, what turmoils lie in her past that have led her to this point. Then if they were in her past as was Biblical Ruth's, and Boaz represents Macom II (Milkmans father), then is Macom-Milkman supposed to be Obed and the road to a modern "christ" is being woven?
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Post by jamiezimmerman on Apr 29, 2014 6:49:27 GMT
Morrison's method of naming everything seems very contradictory. The biblical names are vastly important, and while I understood bible stories to a limited degree, I agree with Yong's interpretation of Pilate. Biblical themes abound in this novel, and names are only just a part of it. At the same time, naming characters important things contrasts with naming other things not important things. While the post office recognizes Mains Street, no one can really agree on what it is called when all the locals call it Not Doctor Street - a nickname. Macon Dead Jr. was named from a mistake that a drunken soldier made, and Milkman was nicknamed when a janitor saw his breastfeeding. All of these just seem really silly - why not name them real names? Does Morrison want us to take only the biblical characters seriously? Additionally, I wonder if Milkman's lack of real name affects his interpretation of the world. His depressive nature about flight at the tender age of four morphs into a horrendous apathy towards all things important to other people. No one takes him name seriously, so he can't take the world seriously.
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