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Song Of Solomon Literary Analysis

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Song Of Solomon Literary Analysis
In "Song of Solomon" the women take somewhat of a backseat compared to the men. There are plenty of strong and important female characters in this work but they become disposable to the men. For example Macon Dead II loved the thrill of taking off Ruth's shoes and stocking but as time passed he simply hated her and wasn't afraid to hit her either. From Ruth's perspective she just craved loved and wanted someone to fill her void since he husband would no longer show her an ounce of appreciation. Ruth then decided that Milkman would be her champion and she would love him and hopefully that love would be reciprocated and this relationship would eventually lead her to breastfeeding Milkman even when he was too old for it and thus him receiving …show more content…
The first is to show how much Ruth misses and loved her father since she had a lovely arrangement of flowers and driftwood on the table but as he died she left the bouquet there and inevitably the watermark was left there and slowly grew over time. The watermark can also be used to symbolize the stain and hole that is in the family. It shows that the family is not a standard nuclear family and is falling apart at the seams and can be see on page 12 when Macon Dead II looks at the piece put simply reprimands Ruth on the quality of the food she …show more content…
The Circe in "Song of Solomon" is very similar to the one in Homer's "The Odyssey" . On page 239 we see that Milkman had various dreams of witches in his past that used to chase him and that Circe fits the depiction of his dreams. What we know of the Circe in "The Odyssey" is that she is a witch who is surrounded by a plethora of wild beast and eventually leads the hero back home. The Circe who helps Milkman does have a pack of dogs with her as seen on page 240 and through the next couple of pages, to page 248 to be exact, she helps steer Milkman in the right direction of the cave and to help him on his journey to learn about his ancestors. I believe Toni Morrison captured this allusion perfectly is by the fact that both women are trapped in a sense at one place, Homer's Circe on an island and Morrison's Circe in a mansion to watch it rot away because it reminds her of the horrible past. Morrison also included this character as a way to portray a guide in Milkman's journey and reveal more about his past and what it could lead to him
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