So unfolds the beginning scene of Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon. Nursery rhymes, fables, fairy tales, ghost stories, folktales, and legends are the primary sources fueling Milkman's self-discovery through the journey of the novel. It is human nature to cling to and use fantastical or fictitious accounts to give their lives significance; for Milkman, the discovery of his entire family history depended on such surreal sources.
"Ever hear the story about the snake? Well, the man saw this baby snake bleeding and hurt...And the man felt sorry for it and...fed it and took care of it...Then one day, the snake turned on him and bit him"(64). Macon used the fable of the betraying serp
ke...climbing up a huge tree to reclaim riches owned by the undeserving giant.
ent to caution Milkman about staying away from his aunt. This was one of the first fictitious references inserted by Morrison. Following this story session, Macon continues to refer to his sister, Pilate, with the title of "a snake ready to shed its skin". The fable sets up Macon's regards towards his sister with very specific thoughts and feelings; it also sets up the beginning of Milkman's resentment towards his father.
Another grotesque situation, which took a large part of Milkman's life, is described with references to the fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin". "Like the miller's daughter-the one who sat at night in a straw-filled roo
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