Storytelling in Song of Solomon
Storytelling is a way of communication, a way of relating the past to future generations of listeners. Storytelling plays an important role in Toni Morrison's novel, Song of Solomon, in that the protagonist, Milkman, is told a variety of stories by many of the characters. Each story influences him and gives him a different or additional view of his family's history, ultimately molding him into a person willing to give up the restrictions imposed upon him by his parents and allowing him to look forward into the future to find a way to fly.Macon, Milkman's father, tells him a story of the past-a tale about his mother, Ruth-in an attempt to show Milkman that Macon was justified in hitting her. Milkman is extremely troubled after he is told about his mother and begins wondering what else happened years earlier that is still affecting him (as it is Ruth's fault he is called Milkman at all). Ruth's story is similar in its intent, to bring Milkman on her side against his father, but Milkman rejects her story as he rejected his father's. Both stories are told with self-serving intents on the parts of the storytellers, fabricated to sway Milkman's opinion rather than enlighten him. Pilate's multiple stories about her youth are
The stories Milkman hears influence him greatly, molding him into the adult he becomes by the conclusion of the book. Before Milkman leaves on his journey to find the gold, he only knows of the past his parents and Pilate have told him-from the illiterate grandfather whose land was taken with his life to his parent's troubled relations before he was born. In his search for the gold, however, Milkman discovers his people, the Macon Dead that inspired boys to be better farmers and the Solomon who flew away and left twenty-one children and a heartbroken wife. He finally knows who he is and where his family came from. This allows him to have pride in his family-pride he could not find in the conniving Macon and pitiable Ruth-which leads him to the freedom Solomon found in riding the air. The tales of Milkman's paternal grandfather, whose real name is Jake, are told by many individuals. First is the song that permeates the novel-the song about Sugarman or Solomon-sung by both the old and young, a simple song Milkman discovers describes his great-grandfather, Jake's father, Solomon. Then are the tales of Jake told by the men of Danville who remember him as "the farmer they wanted to be" who created a successful farm and family from practically nothing-a ve
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 852
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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