So, I recognize that this is coming like five hours earlier than all of the other posts will pop up, but here goes. I'm going to be doing some microanalysis of the second to last stanza of the first section entitled "friends".
"Don't stare at me because I am dark--the sun has darkened my skin. My brothers were angry with me; they forced me to care for their vineyards, so I couldn't care for myself--my own vineyard."
I think that this part can be interpreted to represent Pilate's character in the book. She clearly has a past that has darkened her and made it so that her "own vineyard" could not possibly be in order. Looking at her childhood, when she and Macon split, she was forced to go out into the world on her own, shouldering a nearly insurmountable amount of responsibility, damaging her like the person in the stanza above. The effects of this on her life and character are evident in most descriptions of her, for god’s sake she doesn’t have a belly button! In our very first encounter with her, the blackness imagery is evident “In a long-sleeved, long-skirted black dress. Her hair was wrapped in black too” (36).
At first read, I couldn’t really find anything that connected the biblical verse to the novel but after reading it more carefully, there was a motif that seemed to persist throughout the biblical verse and the novel: freedom. In the biblical verse, the freedom was from societal standards and sexuality. In the novel, it was a freedom from alienation from Milkman’s own personality. This motif of freedom and liberation continues throughout both works of literature.
ReplyDeleteBut the freedom is also something that has negative consequences in both works. In the biblical verse, the narrator, in a way, alienates herself from society because she did not live by societal standards about her sexuality. Milkman’s flight and freedom also comes at the cost of leaving people behind, such as Hagar. In order for Milkman to be free, he removes himself from all of the people in his life and leaves on a journey away from them.
This motif of freedom is in both the biblical verse and the novel.
again, the black text just has to be highlighted to be read..sorry
ReplyDeleteHey, all. I picked out some lines that reminded me of "Song of Solomon." Have some samples:
ReplyDelete1) "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth; for thy love is better than wine."
The speaker describes her love as like an addiction, like an alcoholic that has found something better than wine. This sounds like Hagar, who falls hopelessly in love with Milkman and will do anything to win him back.
2) "The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills."
This sounds like Solomon's Leap. In particular, this description is much like the final image of the novel: Milkman leaping towards his enemy.
3) "I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me now answer."
This description sounds like Hagar describing how Milkman breaks up with her. She loves him completely, but no matter how much she tries, he refuses her advances.
4) "O that thou wert as my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother!"
This description may connect to the questionable relationship between Milkman and his mother.
Just some ideas and lines that stuck out to me. Happy blogging!
Both Matt and Jordan provided very good insight in relating Morrison's novel to the biblical book. Again, I'm not the first to know/recognize this, but I'm just going to put it out there for further consideration. The title of Morrison's novel is a direct reference to the biblical book of the same name (as we all clearly know). Likewise, Morrison's entire novel is full of biblical references. First, Morrison includes multiple bibilical names, like Magdalene, Ruth, and Pilate. Her novel is also full of countless Biblical allusions. The most notable being that the strongest character in her book (Pilate) is named after Pontius Pilate, the roman governor of Judea who was responsible for the execution of Jesus. In naming her characters after Biblical characters, Morrison adds tremendous depth and meaning to the background of her story.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to finding connections between the two, I have 2 quotes from the novel whose meanings correspond with the Biblical book.
On page 54, Morrison writes, "Let me tell you right now the one important thing that you'll ever need to know: Own things. And let the things you own own other things too. Then you'll own yourself and other people too.”
In Chapter 8 of SOS (bible), it says, "My vineyard, which is mine, is before me: thou, O Solomon, must have a thousand, and those that keep the fruit thereof two hundred."
The connection between these two quotes, for me, was pretty obvious. In Morrison's novel, Macon Dead is a dominant male character who represses his family. From his single-minded ambition to his greed and materialism, he does not concentrate on being a loving and nurturing father AT ALL. Instead, he concentrates on another entirely different aspect of paternity- and that's property (more specifically, the acquisition of it). Macon wants to own property and even other people, which is why he is the speaker of the quote I selected. He says these words to his son Milkman, who mistakenly thinks he has inherited this trait from his father (but he really hasn't). Coming from a descendant of slaves, for Macon Dead to say it's important to own things, including people, is an incredibly remarkable statement. Now, in regards to the quote I took from the Biblical SOS, I am not at all entirely knowledgeable of the story behind it. I did, however, find that the"vineyard" is Christ's church and that Christ had a more eminent title to his vineyard/church than Solomon had to his vineyard because Christ's was purchased by his blood, not by his money.
Because the vineyard/church is "before me," as in, it is under Christ's own eye and care, I think it is fair to say that this demonstrates the importance of owning things and of property. It's all honestly just confusing to me, however, I think these 2 quotes effectively can be connected in the form of expressing the importance of owning things.
There are most definitely more connections between the two. I only introduced this one that I found (because it took me a very long time just to find one...)
After reading the biblical passage, the first theme that struck me was the theme of love. I felt as though the entire passage was something I could imagine the love-struck Hagar saying to god about Milkman, the object of her affection.
ReplyDelete"Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth--for thy love is better than wine"
This line in particular reminded me of Hagar, and it seems like something she would have said while praying for Milkman to requite her love. It seems kind of desperate, which is probably why it reminded me so much of her, since she is severely blinded by love throughout the novel.
Additionally, for the rest of the passage, the narrator continues to rant about how beautiful his/her lover is, and seems to put them on a pedestal, which also seems like the behavior I would expect from Hagar when talking about Milkman.
The first line that struck me in the biblical Song of Solomon (which is similar to Matt's, it might just be an adapted version) was "Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept." This seems like a direct reference to Morrison's Song of Solomon. I think it refers to Pilate, as her mother's child (Macon Dead) hates her. And i think the reference to vineyards refers to Pilate's ability to mentor and care for others (Hagar, Reba, Milkman) but her inability to care for herself. For example, when Pilate goes to bail Milkman and Guitar out of jail, Milkman notes that she visibly shrinks in the presence of the Milkman. In a way, Pilate suffers from a loss of dignity, and as much as she claims to be self-confident, I'm not entirely sure she is.
ReplyDeleteAnother stanza that really struck me was "I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spake: i sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer." This is another obvious parallel to Morrison's Song of Solomon. It clearly represents the voice of Hagar, who was desperately in love with Milkman. However, he completely abandoned her, which resulted in her death.
I think the connection between Song of Songs and Song of Solomon is overall confusing. Based on my understanding of this biblical passage, it is essentially a lyrical dialogue between two lovers. It is interesting that no one has mentioned the male's verses and what he is trying to say in this text. Two people, a man and a woman, are professing their love for one another and expressing it with a lot of imagery, especially referring to nature (like the woman comparing her love to an apple tree and the man comparing his love's features to different animals). They discuss how much they love each other and then there is some explicitly sexual descriptions. As much as I see where everyone else is coming from when they say that this is the voice of Hagar - the love the woman is talking about in this biblical text is actually being reciprocated so it may not connect as well as we think.
ReplyDeleteI do see, however, in this text that the woman speaker is more or less taking care of the man (especially Chapter 8) - as in she is sort of his backbone in the relationship. Like the saying behind every man there is a woman - I think this might relate to that and therefore parallel the portrayal of the relationship among men and women in the Songs of Solomon. The women do so much for the men - it can hardly be seen as an equal relationship, but they don't get credit for all their work. Just like this biblical text is known as the Song of Songs or Song of SOLOMON it is not known as the Song of Insert Name of Woman Here. Although this woman does the majority of speaking in this text - she doesn't even get a mention in the title.
My post may be way off base, but just something to consider!
Reading the “Songs of Solomon” within the Bible really opened my eyes to the inspiration for Morrison’s own novel. Many of the plot lines are taken from distinct phrases within the biblical text. Also, many of the tones within the passage, such as women’s sensual yearning for men, and the sense of a fruitful, rich culture under each word, are very much utilized by Morrison. With diction and the woman’s first person point of view, the “Songs of Solomon” embrace the infatuation that females possess as they suffer seeking the affection of men. One of the most poignant parts of the Bible reading that corresponds to Song of Solomon is the desperation that the female has for her “beloved,” describing that: “I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.” This relates best to Hagar, who is relentlessly searching for Milkman to take her back. The speaker in the passage is black, and thinks of herself lowly because of her race and consequent societal position; Hagar similarly recognizes her inferiority as a poor African American living without a male breadwinner in the household. The speaker in the Bible also focuses on many of the male’s physical features, thus demonstrating her sensual rather than intellectual or emotional connection to the companion. Like Hagar, this speaker is desperate for love and belonging; nothing in the text proves that she in any way yearns for his personality or kindness, but rather wants to engage in intimate actions. Both passages describe this scenario as more of a chase or a fantasy than a realistic goal, for if the speaker/Hagar could have the beloved/Milkman, neither women would be so descriptively recounting what she desires in her man. The biblical passage’s reference to “swords” and “fearing the night” relates to Hagar’s late-night excursions to hurt Milkman, as revenge for his neglect. The “watchmen” looking over the town at night as the speaker searches for her beloved represents those protecting Milkman as Hagar does her monthly hunt, as well as Ruth/Pilate trying to stop Hagar from pursuing Milkman. As the biblical speaker describes hearing the man call for her love (but when she responds he no longer calls back), represents her dissent into madness, by making herself believe that he loves her too. She becomes “sick of love,” which demonstrates Hagar’s demise due to unrequited love.
ReplyDeleteAnother familiarity between the “Songs of Solomon” and Morrison’s novel is the “singing of birds,” which may have inspired Morrison’s character Sing, who breathes life into the story by helping Milkman link the Song of Solomon to his own heritage, thus awakening his identity, just as the birds symbolize life after the dark winter. Another reference to character names is “Sweet,” which springs up a few times in the biblical passage (ex. “Sweet is thy voice”). Twice in which the word “sweet” is used, the line “my beloved is mine, and I am his” follows shortly after. This may represent how Sweet and Milkman’s relationship is the only one within the story that provides a mutual respect and reciprocation of feelings. Lastly, the line “thou wert my brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother…I would kiss thee; yea, I should not be despised” connects to Morrison’s Song of Solomon with its insinuation of sensually intimate family bonds, portrayed through Ruth and Milkman, and Ruth and Dr. Foster.
Impressive analysis guys. but in response to Judy's post, if this passage is so heavily built upon the first person voice of the woman, why would Morrison choose to write the novel in a man's voice? is it in order to satirize what Haley was saying about men being clearly more heavily emphasized in the bible/this passage.
ReplyDelete-Also, did anyone notice that Morrison's other most famous work is entitled Beloved?
Referring to Rebecca's post, I believe Pilate meant to "shrink" herself in an attempt to seem innocent and submissive to the police, so that they don't suspect her, maybe even pity her. Referring to Christina's post, I notice the "his/her" confusion. I was also confused because at times the line just didn't seem right! This was from a version I found online. Luckily, though, we have a very nice Bible at home, so I took it out and found that it’s really several different people talking in the same passage. Now, an interesting line is “Seal me in your heart with permanent betrothal, for love is strong as death and jealousy is as cruel as Sheol.” Betrothal is the act of being engaged to someone. Love possesses as much strength as death, but when there is love there is not death. Then, the lack of love would mean death, and Hagar, having lost any connection to Milkman, will die (as she does). The connection between the girl in the Song and Hagar has been made numerous times before, but here is just another piece of evidence for that. Note too the line “Your navel is lovely as a goblet filled with wine.” The girl has this incredibly, breath-taking navel. Pilate completely lacks one. Pilate is NOT like the girl in the Song. She has very little personal concern for such overwhelming love with men. So, the girl has been connected to Hagar. But what about Solomon? He may fit Milkman at first because of the reciprocal physical love they showed, but afterwards Milkman just ditches her. Well, we might also be able to connect the girl with Ryna and Solomon to Solomon. After all, Ryna goes crazy crying when Solomon leaves, which means they probably had a really close relationship going. But, Solomon probably couldn’t stand slavery, and so he flew away. Perhaps it was the monotony of slavery, the feeling of being stranded in life with no future, nowhere to go. Milkman faces a similar situation with his boring life in his boring town, with everyone around him seeming to have problems. It may not be that Milkman was growing tired of Hagar’s “easiness,” but really he felt it was so because their relationship seemed to blend into his daily monotony, no longer offering anything special anymore. So, like Solomon, he leaves in order to save himself. Milkman and the two Solomons all loved someone very much. But, the non-biblical characters simply are not perfect. They could not stand their dreariness, of their lives, and instead of reinforcing such bonds and bracing through these times, they break them, perhaps taking the easy way out.
ReplyDeleteSo I sort of deviated from the Song but it really helped me connect Solomon and Milkman.
After reading the song of songs i was confused, like other people surely were at first. However, the second line, as some people have already noted, it instantly reminded me of the relationship between Hagar and Milkman. Hagar is madly in love, and she will seemingly do anything for Milkman's love so it would only be natural for her to not only want but need his love more than anything in the world. Also wine is another sort of pleasure like love, and the lover seems to want love more than wine signifying the significance and greatness of the love-just like Hagar beleived her love was so great.
ReplyDeleteIt is also clear, like others have specified, that the Song of Solomon has many biblical references, most notably the title of the book. What i questioned at first is why this poem about two lovers, in the novel there are not really two lover- although Hagar and Milkman- that is not the focus of the novel. One interesting thing about both the poem and the novel is that they both deal with very confusing relationships- many which are not "mainstream"- as in the might not be normal. It is not that normal to be discussing the private thoughts/feeling of two lovers (the poem) nor is it really normal to have such strange relationships, like Hagar and Milkman, Milkman and his father, his grandfather, ect. Many the connection between the poem and the novel is that creation of love. The two lovers come together and create love, and in the novel Milkman must figure out who he is and who is family is to create love for himself as well as the past and what ever his future holds( if there is on)
I agree with what was stated previously by Judy and the others who related Hagar to the statement "let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine." We sense in that quote the desire the speaker has to share a kiss with her lover, which is comparable to Hagar's desire to win back Milkman's love. Another connection I found was when the song of solomon states "A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts", I saw it as comparable to Sweet when Milkman spends the night with me, he lies with her, and there is this mutual respect and love that is understood by the reader.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with what Hayley said about how its of a man and a woman conversing, and in a way completing each other's sentences. When applyign that idea as I read the biblical song of solomon, one of the lines sai is "as the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters." I connected the daughters to Pilate and her daughter and great daughter Hagar, who in this case is like the lily and Milkman's love is the thorn that hurts her, and breaks her heart. Such as stated in the song of solomon, the female speaker attests to losing her love when she states "by night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not" This biblical reference is alluded to by Morrison when she compares it to Hagars desperate search for Milkman and the various things she attempt to do to gain his love back.
Finally when reading the biblical song of solomon, It constantly speaks of this wine that is created from these grapes and then lie within the woman's breast. In relation of Morrison's song of solomon, it related to how Ruth breast fed Milkman and earned him his new name, just liek the wine in the biblical song of solomon transformed the people, Ruth's milk transformed Milkman. This might be a bit of a stretch, but when described in the biblical song of solomon, the grapes represent their home, where it is cultivated, and where it must continue to be cultivated, and Milkman in Morrison's Song of solomon seeks to find his roots, which could relate to in a way finding those grapes, that produce the wine and love and strength his past family members shared.
Before I begin my blog post I just wanted to note that I laughed at Haley's intense feminism...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I think that most people are incorrect as pinning the speaker of Song of Solomon as Hagar and that is where Morrison received her inspiration from. I think SOS in the Bible is being narrated by a female character, but I think Morrison is using irony to display that Milkman is such a weak character that he is equal to that of a woman in the Bible. He has no idea who he is and where he belongs, and is in essence dead weight in his society. Only after he finds this sense of self can he contribute to society. Thus, from this passage, I think Morrison extracted the idea that people must belong to something before they can feel full of life, and I think that is an accurate statement regarding Milkman's life. He must belong to this community that his father and aunt are from and understand his past before he can truly live.
I am one hundred percent sure this is completely off base, but I was very confused while reading SOS from the Bible.
Olivia, your point about Milkman needing to belong to something, whether it be an ideal, identity, or individual is very well-thought and connected to the Song, I then don't see how comparing Milkman to the girl in the Song, who has a great sense of belonging, characterizes him as weak. Also, while Milkman may be comparable to the "girl," remember that the passage is actually several speakers, which include a male. So, we are all "right" in our interpretations.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I want to apologize for posting/blogging so late and behind everyone else. I just fell asleep and then woke up and started my homework....
ReplyDeleteSecond, to comment on Olivia's post, ( I think it is really funny that she thinks everyone else is 100 percent wrong) I agree with the idea that SOS from the bible is narrated by a female character and that a person who is unsure about his own place in society has a hard time contributing to society. However, I do not see this type of person in SOS from the bible. Within the first book, the Bride and the Daughters of Jerusalem, the narrator establishes that she is lower than her love ("I am Black...look not upon me, because I am black (line 6 book 1)"). As a result, I think the narrator is fully aware of her place.
However, to tie in Katie's post, it is blatantly obvious that Morrison used the Songs of Solomon story from the bible as inspiration for her own novel. The hard part is discerning what exactly the form of inspiration was.
After reading the first stanza, I do understand Julia's post regarding the narrator as Hagar. The narrator, in the first stanza, is completely love drunk and addicted to her love. However, unlike Hagar in Songs of Solomon (Morrison style,) this narrator is not physically driven to insanity by her love. My inner feeling is that the narrator is just saying those lines, "Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better than wine" (line 2). Much similar to the lyrics in Rihanna's Rude Boy song which is about her going after a rude boy (A criminal delinquent), she and the narrator both do not actually want what they are saying.
As for my own connection between the SOS.
In general, I can seem many parallels between the two SOS. One such parallel is the use of ambiguity. In book 5, line 8, the narrator says that she is sick of love. This line comes in the book titled Distress of separation so one would assume that she is done being in love. However, another interpretation is that she is love sick (a synonym to love drunk). This type of ambiguity is used by Morrison in both SOS (the use of the word flight in the first chapter) and in Beloved (not a story to pass on). Another parallel is the focus on body parts especially the navel. In book seven of SOS in the bible, there is the mention of the navel and its fertility while Morrison focuses on the lack of a navel. A last parallel is the use of a refrain throughout the novel. In the bible, the refrain is "I charge you, O daughters of Jersulaem that ye stir not up, nor awake my love until he please" while in Morrison it is the one regarding Solomon and flgiht. Both these refrains echo the main point of the story. The inspiration is clearly there. Each title of the books in the Bible SOS represent a specific stage in the Journey taken by Milkman in Morrison SOS.
I feel like this is about a journey for the Song of Solomon. I really don't see the link to Hagar because Hagar was pretty much a tool in the love line. I agree with Derek there, though after that I lose him pretty easily. Some part stuck in my mind like the two Solomons having giddy love, but aside from that, nothing. For me, I see a bit of a journey of love. In chpapter 6, "Whither is they beloved gone, O though fairest among women?" There is a hint of this seeking out of the two lovers. Even though Chapter 5 was a dream and I feel like Chapter 6 is the dialogue with the watchmen from Chapter 5, I still feel like this is talking about the journey for these two lovers to find and respect eachother, which is reminiscent of Milkman's journey in the book.
ReplyDelete(Posting from a public computer, HAL has gone rampant)
ReplyDeleteChapter 3 Stanza 2- I will rise now, and go about the city, in the streets and in the broad ways, I will seek him whom my soul loveth.' I sought him, but I found him not.
“This line summarizes Hagar’s actions after Milkman rejects her. Hagar is depicted as an emotionally dependent character, she must be given a purpose from another person in order to feel mentally balanced. Originally, Pilate was the source of purpose for Hagar but when Milkman started having a relationship with Hagar, she became emotionally dependent on him. His rejection of her left Hagar with no purpose and turned her emotionally distraught and violent. With Milkman holding her identity, Hagar roamed the streets aimlessly trying to find Milkman.
Chapter 3 Stanza 4- “Scarce had I passed from them, when I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.”
I interpret the line “I held him and would not let him go” as Hagar’s murderous hunt for Milkman. She held Milkman in her mind and heart ever since he left her and focused all of her attention on finding Milkman. She obsesses over Milkman until he confronts her in Pilate’s house, “my mother’s house”. It is not until after this confrontation that Hagar lets go of Milkman to some degree. However, she still longs for Milkman and this eventually leads to her death.
I know I'm a little late in posting so I'm going to try to talk about some different things that I noticed. First, I am going to analyze a couple of quotes that reminded me directly of SOS the novel and then I am going to analyze the Bible passage as a whole.
ReplyDeleteBook 5
" I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. The watchmen found me, as they went about in the city; they beat me, they wounded me, they took away my mantle, those watchmen of the walls."
The watchmen in this scene reminds me of the weather that Hagar ran into when she was running all around town to try to make herself look prettier so that Milkman would love her again. Hagar ran all around town buying new clothes, getting her makeup and hair done, and trying to become more attractive, but in the end it starts to rain which messes up her hair and rips her clothes. In the end she looks uglier. The excursion to town in SOS the novel is Hagar's journey to find Milkman again and the watchmen are the weather conditions that beat Hagar down.
Book 8
"O that you were like a brother to me, that nursed at my mother's breast! If I met you outside, I would kiss you, and none would despise me. 2 I would lead you and bring you into the house of my mother, and into the chamber of her that conceived me. I would give you spiced wine to drink, the juice of my pomegranates."
This relates Milkman and Hagar because Pilate saved Milkman's life, without Pilate, Milkman would have never been born because Macon kept trying to kill him. Pilate also helped with Milkman's conception. Finally, Pilate makes wine for all of the drunks in the neighborhood which also relates to this passage.
This Bible passage recounts both sides of a love story. At the beginning, both of the people love each other very much like Milkman and Hagar. However, they are of different classes, the woman is black and poor like Hagar and the man is wealthy with a lot of material things like Milkman. The man eventually leaves the woman to pursue these material goods in order to gain more respect around the kingdom. The woman is then in constant pursuit of the man and eventually at the end admits that she still loves him and he can always come back. Milkman may not have left Hagar to pursue material goods but he leaves Hagar to find meaning to his life.