Room for Growth

From its first impressions, Toni Morrison gives Song of Solomon a biblical meaning. In the Bible, Song of Solomon, or sometimes called Song of Songs, is a book with no clear author. The book tells of an imaginary dreamlike story of two sexual lovers. Throughout the chapters, the text alludes many times to King Solomon, hence the name of the book. King Solomon ruled wisely and strongly over Israel in his early days. Being the son of legendary King David, Solomon completes a majestic temple for God. The tale goes that Solomon calls to God for help ruling over Israel. God then grants him one wish to help his rule. Instead of asking for money or power, he asks for wisdom. Impressed by Solomon, God not only makes Solomon the wisest man, but gives him the wealth and power as well. His early days were filled with conquest and success. However, like David, Solomon eventually turns away from God which starts the downfall of Israel. Toni Morrison utilizes the imaginary aspect of S...

In Song of Solomon , Toni Morrison gives biblical names to most of the women characters. Since there are so many women characters in the novel, I will be focusing of Ruth Foster Dead and Pilate Dead. These are my opinions on what was Morrison’s purpose and symbolism through these names. Ruth Foster Dead is married to Macon Dead II, who dominates and abuses Ruth. She is the daughter of Dr. Foster, a wealthy black doctor. Ruth relies on her dead father and Pilate to live through the struggles in her life. The biblical Ruth originates from a poor background and takes care of her mother, Naomi. In order to get food to survive, she picks grain off of a field owned by a wealthy man, Boaz. Ruth ends up marrying Boaz who loves her and takes care of her family. She is the heroine in the book of Ruth. In this way, Morrison’s purpose in naming Ruth is very ironic. Ruth Foster marries a poorer man who abuses her. Boaz’s love that she longs for is nonexistent in her life; she is unhapp...

“What is in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.” Romeo and Juliet , William Shakespeare Even though their names are “star crossed,” Juliet expresses that the name Montague means nothing in their love. By this, Juliet means to say Romeo with any other name would still be Romeo. In the Shakespeare play, this disregard of the name is what confirms the unfortunate fate between the Capulets and the Montagues. Because the name represents the feud and power of the two families, this quote by Juliet proves to be a fallacy. A rose called “dead fish” wouldn’t be as nice to give to your date. “Agreed to take and pass on to all their issue this heavy name scrawled in perfect thoughtlessness by a drunken Yankee in the Union Army.” Song of Solomon , Toni Morrison On the other hand, the significance of Macon Dead’s name is the direct opposite. The ironic and careless name given to a former slave by a drunken white man becomes the symbol ...

The Great Gatsby is based on the 1920’s New York City featuring two fictional places in Long Island- West Egg and East Egg. The “Roaring Twenties” was one of the most distinct and progressive eras in U.S. history. The post-WWI economic boom led to a wave of consumerism, soaring stock market, and higher standards of living. With the passage of the 19 th Amendment, women celebrated more freedom and moved away from traditional values through the flapper movement. Of course, all throughout this glamorous decade, the 18 th Amendment prohibited all sales, consumption, and production of alcohol. In The Great Gatsby , the consumerism of the Twenties is characterized by the car. The car emerged in the decade as a symbol of freedom, wealth, and social status. Any person wealthy enough to buy a car did so. Nick admires Gatsby’s “rich cream color, bright with nickel” car which symbolizes Gatsby’s great wealth (64). This wealth of the Twenties, however, does not last. Starting with the...