Wang AP Lit

      Song of Solomon is a bildungsroman. After all, the novel chronicles the life of Milkman Dead as he grows up and attempts to find meaning in life. Milkman has two defining characteristics: self-absorption and a lack of identity. Throughout the novel, Milkman seemingly acts in his own interests and ignores the well-being of those around him. He becomes intimate with Hagar, but when he becomes bored, he disregards her and refers to her as a third beer that one drinks simply because it is there. Similarly, he hardly speaks with his sisters Magdalene called Lena and First Corinthians, and he does not view his mother Ruth as a real person with emotions, but rather as an extension of himself. Additionally, he feels manipulated by his family members and friends. He thinks, “Somehow everybody was using him for something or as something. Working out some scheme of their own on him, making him the subject of their dreams of wealth, or love, or martyrdom. ...

We have heard about the ghosts haunting Freddie's mother and Pilate's father's ghost giving her advice. What is the significance of ghosts in the novel? Who is Circe and what is her relationship to Pilate and Macon? How does the lack of familial roots and identity shape and influence the characters in the novel?

Toni Morrison’s novel Song of Solomon is peppered with many different unusual metaphors. Often appearing at unexpected moments, this figurative language enhances the text and offers more meaning into the characters’ minds. The following are a few of my favorite metaphors: “There was the pain and shame of seeing his father crumple before any man–even himself. Sorrow in discovering that the pyramid was not five-thousand-year wonder of the civilized world, mysteriously and permanently constructed by generation after generation of hardy men who had died in order to perfect it, but that it had been made in the back room at Sears, by a clever window dresser, of papier-maché, guaranteed to last a lifetime” (68) In this passage, Milkman reflects on hitting his father after Macon abuses Ruth. The act of retaliation represents Milkman’s loss of innocence and transition into full adulthood; he realizes that he no longer fears his father. Prior to this moment, his father, like the pyramid, is...

What is the significance of the water mark on the table? Was Macon Dead's father lynched? What is the significance of the children's names being from the Bible?

Does Virginia Woolf want readers to admire Clarissa, or pity her? Why does Clarissa admire Septimus's decision to commit suicide? Why does the novel end right before Clarissa speaks with Peter?

          The treatment of mental illness seems to be a recurring theme in my writing throughout this year. Indeed, during Woolf’s and Faulkner’s writing years, many young men were returning from the Great War (World War I) and had seen unprecedented amounts of horror and violence. To worsen matters, in society, there were little to no resources for war veterans coping with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which was referred to as “shell shock” at the time. In Mrs. Dalloway, Virginia Woolf uses Septimus Warren Smith to bring to light the poor treatment of war veterans. She presents two doctors with differing views, Sir William Bradshaw and Dr. Holmes, but both ineffective, in order to criticize the cruel treatment of the mentally ill.             At first, Sir Bradshaw seems to be caring. After all, Woolf describes him as “understanding of the human soul” (95). Moreover, Bradshaw appears to disappr...