In my mind, Solomon is a very Biblical name. In Wikipedia's mind as well. Solomon was the king of Israel and the son of David. The latter was an ancestor of Jesus. Toni Morrison introduces her novel with a very religious connotation, and religion is a large part in the representation of African Americans.
Going back the video we watched in class today, I see the trend Tavis Smiley mentioned about African-Americans putting themselves down. This we can see in Viola Davis' experience when African-American film writers offer her roles such as "ghetto moms." In Song of Solomon, Macon Dead refers to Porter as a "nigger," a word with a very negative connotation and that African-Americans tend to find offending. The fact that they use this degrading word amongst themselves exemplifies this mistreatment because it is now used in their own group.
Macon Dead also cares about his reputation. He worries about what people think of the only Black with properties and is very harsh with his own crowd. His lack of empathy for Mrs. Bains' case and the insights the omnipotent narrator gives us about Ruth, Lena and the Milkman's relationship with Macon show that his personality is a harsh, serious one.
No comments:
Post a Comment