Toni Morrison’s novel, Song of Solomon, is a controversial book that some states allow to be read in school and in others find the book to be vulgar because of the descriptive language. The diction Morrison uses and the scenes she describes all contribute to the book to truly reveal how people think in the world and how society is. The situations that characters are put through are growing points and teach young adults what growing up can be like. Song of Solomon provides a realistic view on society, racism, and sexism then and how it so closely correlates to society now.
This novel should not be banned in schools and should be taught upon teacher’s choice. We learn about society in the 1950’s and Martin Luther King Jr. and race riots in history class. But what we don't learn is how people lived through the segregation, how people tried to overcome the segregation, or how people grew in that oppressed environment.
Song of Solomon provides a new learning experience through the eyes of a young African American man. Macon “Milkman” Dead is the protagonist and the book is written by following his upbringing. Milkman is the youngest of the family and has a close relationship to his mother, but not his father.The society he lives in is a black neighborhood with constant reassurance that he needs to behave a certain way to avoid trouble and that black people will be treated lesser. Many of these people live a minimalistic lifestyle, "Who’s going to live in them? There’s no colored people who can afford to have two houses," Lena said. The African American community has such a huge impact on society and how their growing impoverishment affects business therefore affecting their way of living.
Milkman’s character develops and grows through the years to come to realize that his race is singled out.Milkman’s character teaches students how much society has changed since the 1950’s but also how much society hasn't changed. With our new president in office we are starting to see a more 1950’s atmosphere towards all people of color. History classes can teach us how people felt and overcame obstacles. But Morrison uses choice words and descriptive scenes to accurately display a vivid picture and engage the reader to understand racism.
Milkman’s encounters with racism teach students in school how African Americans were directly affected by segregation that aren't compromised by the views of other people that are not of color.Morrison describes Milkman in a barbershop with a few of his friends, he walks in and they're all listening to the radio about a African American boy that was brutally murdered. “ A young Negro boy had been found stomped to death in Sunflower County, Mississippi. ”(Morrison The way the men in the barber shop react to this tragedy. They're enraged and begin to fight with each other.
History classes can only teach what happened, they can't teach the reactions or emotions that followed these very often incidents.Milkman's best friend Guitar joins an activist group called the Seven Days. The activist group kills one white person for every black person murdered. This is how some of the African American community reacted.
Race is such a big issue and Morrison uses Milkman’s life to, in a sense, communicate that entire races feelings toward racism. Morrison shows how Milkman grows through these experiences and how he should handle them. Milkman starts the novel as a somewhat selfish man who will do anything to gain independence and developed into a nonmaterialistic and morally selfless man.Milkman decides that he won't let race define him and doesn't feel the need to react in the same manner as most, which is violence and revenge.
There's always two sides to a story and this is the African American perspective of racism that she describes. It's so important for students to see the entire picture to truly understand. But Morrison also uses sexism, a theme not often taught in school, to describe how not only people of color were oppressed but how the women were oppressed by even their own race. Morrison’s few female characters are left behind.Her characters are trapped in abusive relationships and brought down by societal cliches.
The men are described as flying or fleeing, while the women are associated with being grounded. We see them driven to the point of madness at the loss of a lover or rejection. “ She began to pout, sulk, and accuse him of not loving her or wanting to see her anymore. ”(Morrison 98).
Hagar was so dependent on her relationship with milkman that when he ended things she became enraged but this just shows how selfish the men are and don't care about the feelings of the women in their life.She was just a “third beer” she was just there because he knew he could have her whenever he pleased. The women are dependent on men as a safe place, even though all these men treat their relationships as if they were nothing. The only women that can stand by herself and not be reliant on a man is Pilate.
Pilate is a problem solver and a completely unselfish person. Pilate is perceived as man and woman, Adam and Eve. She has traits from both sides and that makes her the strongest female character. She is here to protect and care for her family by any means necessary. Morrison tackles various themes in this novel.
This novel is extremely controversial throughout the country, but why should some choice language and particular scenes be the reason we shouldn't learn? Mature young adults should be able to see past the language to actually understand why the author used that language and why she decided to describe a murder. Societal issues, racism, and sexism are reoccurring themes throughout the book and also our everyday lives. This is a new learning experience and an analytical way to look at these issues. “Song of Solomon” is an educational novel that's students could learn a lot from and it should be taught in schools.
