When beginning to read Song of Solomon, it was not clear where the book got its title. To be honest, I'm still not entirely sure. But one thing I did see was the similarity between the Solomon legend about the two mothers and a baby and Hagar, Ruth, and Milkman. This metaphor only goes so far, but I think that it works for the most part. In the legend, two women are brought before Solomon because they are fighting over who the baby actually belongs to. Solomon decides to resolve this issue by cutting the baby in half. The happy part of this story comes when the real mother would rather the other woman have the baby than it be killed, and so Solomon gives the baby to the real mother. In Song of Solomon there isn't a judge, but there are two women fighting over a boy.
I'll talk about Ruth first, since she is the real mother. The relationship between Ruth and Milkman can seem a bit weird at some points, at least from Ruth's side. The circumstances of Milkman's birth, and how it was forced on Macon are a bit questionable, but regardless, it is clear that Ruth wants and loves Milkman. We have the fact that Ruth nursed Milkman until he was too old to be nursing, giving him his nickname. To me, she wanted to be connected to Milkman as much as possible. I think that Milkman reminds Ruth of her father, and we all know that there was definitely a weird relationship there. But there is also something to be said about the perseverance that Ruth had in keeping Milkman through everything that Macon made her do to try and abort him.
Hagar, on the other hand, has probably the most powerful lust for Milkman that a person can have for another. Hagar kind of creeps me out because she is okay with incest, and she wants to murder the person she loves most in the world (who is her cousin). It is hinted in one of the first scenes with Hagar that she is a sexual being. She claims that she has been "hungry" when she has always had food. Then later we get that she and Milkman "see" each other frequently, and we get that it becomes easier and easier for Milkman to get sex from her. It seems to me that she becomes addicted to him and obsessed with him. And then she snaps when she realizes that she can no longer have him. And that's when she decides that no one can have him if she can't.
Both characters want Milkman all to themselves for reasons that I think can easily be classified as abnormal. Hagar would be comparable to the woman pretending to be the mother in the Solomon legend that would just let Milkman die since she can't have him all to herself. I'm not entirely sure how Ruth would act in a situation like that, but she is definitely more likely to let Milkman live rather than have him chopped in half. Overall though, Pilate gets it right when she tells them that they shouldn't bother with him. He is for sure put off by Hagar trying to kill him and he has never really considered Ruth as someone worth keeping around. After breaking it off with Hagar, he doesn't give either of them any of the attention that they wish they could have from him.
I think the connection between the myth about king solomon, and Milkman's relationship between both Ruth and Hagar is very accurate. You could make the case that Pilate is almost like Solomon. She is trying to reason with both Hagar and Ruth pointing out that they both just want to love Milkman, similar to how Solomon points out that they both want to love the baby.I think it is interesting how you point out that despite the fact that both Hagar and Ruth love Milkman so much he never really loves them back.
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ReplyDeleteI hypothesis a potential alternative meaning which may serve to suggest more of a plot than a reader might currently be convinced of. Its possible that Morrison is writing the tale of Macon and his son as a reference of simile to the biblical tale of Solomon, the prophet-king of Israel. As like Macon on a larger scale, Solomon achieves greatness by expanding the kingdoms wealth and his own access to personal comforts like his harem or Macon's exploited female tenants. If this highly circumstantial interpretation is true and its presently we will soon see a continuation of the plot of power struggle that has so far characterized the book. Macon will have to pay for his sins by losing his power and Milkman will try to assume his position but be rejected by both his family and the community relegating him to a mere shadow of his fathers wealth.
I think this interpretation is very viable, but I think there's at least a solid chance that Milkman will have a happier ending than his father. We've already seen Milkman move away from his old way of life, and he really doesn't express interest in being associated with his father or his company.
DeleteI was also wondering about the title, and the connection between Hagar, Ruth, and Milkman and the legend of Solomon does clarify it a little bit. Although it is only one of many subplots in the book at this point, I am curious to see if the dynamic between these three main characters will play a more substantial role as the story goes on.
ReplyDeleteI was also wondering about the title, and the connection between Hagar, Ruth, and Milkman and the legend of Solomon does clarify it a little bit. Although it is only one of many subplots in the book at this point, I am curious to see if the dynamic between these three main characters will play a more substantial role as the story goes on.
ReplyDeleteYour connection between the title and the Solomon legend is certainly interesting. When I first saw the title of the novel, I assumed it was a reference to the biblical story, as someone else already commented. The only real issue with this comparison you draw is the sexual nature of Hagar's relationship with Milkman, which is far from any normal mother-son relationship. I also found myself thinking of the title of the novel in chapter 11, when Milkman observes the children of Shalimar singing a song that seems to be about a man named Solomon, this also being the name of the man who owns the convenience store. I look forward to seeing how the novel later expands upon the meaning of this "song of Solomon."
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting, it's not how I interpreted the title at all. After reading the last few chapters, I assumed that it came from the children's song that Milkman fixates on. However, both interpretations could be correct here. The song about Milkman's family lends his story more of that mythic quality we've discussed in class, and which is also represented by the isomorphisms between Milkman's situation and the baby in the myth of Solomon.
ReplyDeleteThe comparison between the myth of Solomon and the relationship between Milkman, Ruth, and Hagar is certainly an interesting one. The ways in which Ruth and Hagar love Milkman vastly differ. Ruth certainly loves Milkman, certainly in the past, and after the talk with Milkman on the train, we know that she loved him all along. However, her love towards him is very passive throughout the book, as she never really interacts with him at all, and doesn't even say anything when Milkman defends her at the table. Hagar on the other hand, expresses her love in a very violent way. Your comparison really shines in this area, as both Hagar and the woman in the myth love to the point where they are willing to kill their love interest to get what they want, that is, what they think is necessary.
ReplyDeleteThis is a cool post. Now that we've finished the book, another comparison has emerged between Milkman and Hagar's relationship and a different legend of Solomon. The book's legendary Solomon flies away, leaving his wife, who then goes crazy. When Milkman flies away in his plane, Hagar has a similar reaction. I don't know how much either of these tie into the original myth of Solomon, aside from the women wanting attention thing.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair about Hagar, Milkman was just as okay with incest as she was until he got tired of her, so I don't know if she deserves to be put under the bus after all. This is all in retrospect though I suppose.
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