1. Song of Solomon
By: Toni Morrison

2. Quotes
“They wondered if one of those things that racial-uplift groups were always organizing was taking place”
Historical and Racial reference to the Great Migration where racial-uplift groups would come and rouse up the crowd to move to the North.

3. Toni Morrison Born February 18, 1931 in Lorain, Ohio
Writes African American Literature
Song of Solomon was written in 1977
3rd Novel
Nobel Prize in Literature (1993)
Presidential Medal of Freedom
Highest Civilian Award
Bestowed by the President

4. Toni Morrison (Continued)
Top 100 banned books.
Three of her books are on the list.
Song of Solomon is one of those…
Maybe someone will ban this one too since Invisible Man’s banishment went over so smoothly.
Provoking Emotions?
Schools do not want students to get too emotionally worked up over a book.

5. Foundational Information
Setting: Mostly in the 1960s in Michigan although flashbacks occur quite frequently which take the reader back as far as the early 1900s.
Point of View: Third Person Omniscient

6. Primary Characters
Milkman Dead-Protagonist-crucial to the novel due to his strong influence on other characters.
Breast-Fed way too long!! Not Healthy
Great Dancer
Likes Women…………….A Lot
Works for his evil dad.

7. Pilate Dead She doesn’t have a belly-button?
Kyle XY??? Coincidence I Think Not….
Lived in more states than anyone.
She’s wild and crazy.

8. More Primary…
Macon Jr.
Guitar Bains
Hagar
Ruth Foster Dead

9. Secondary
Macon Dead I
Dr. Foster
Reba
Sing
Freddie
Solomon

10. Summary Overview Insurance Agent commits suicide. Milkman is born.
Milkman becomes heartless with age.
Loses compassion and resembles his father.
Milkman begins having flashbacks.
Milkman wants to know who he really is.
He experiences a change in character.
Guitar wants to destroy Milkman but destroys Pilate instead.

11.
The Christ figure of Desdemona inspired Toni Morrison

12. Underlying Themes Women and Feminimity Supernatural Beings
Visions of America
Exploration
Race
Identity
Love

13. Religious Connections
This entire novel is based off of religious connections starting from the title of the novel, “Song of Solomon”
Song of Songs
Biblical Names.
Ruth, Jacob, First Corinthians, Pilate.
Pilate, was the leader who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
Solomon-built the first temple in Jerusalem.

14. Symbols The hymnals. Biblical references
Pilate is the Christ Figure in the novel which is ironic because he was an evil ungodly man.

15. HISTORY!!!!! President Lincoln-Signed the emancipation proclamation.
Slavery
Malcolm X-group of violent black Muslims during the 1950s and 1960s before his assassination.
John F. Kennedy-fought for unification of the races.
Fought for integration and the destruction of racism in America.

17. “Sugar man done fly away.”