An Underlying Purpose

There are contests being held all around the world, all the time. There are small ones, like whoever behaves best gets to be the line leader, and huge ones like the lottery. But all these have in common one thing: there's a winner. Reba, in Song of Solomon, would win both of these contests and any one in between. She's that type of person, the lucky one.

However, there is one thing that makes winning a bit difficult: her skin color. Because of her dark skin, Reba once almost didn't win the prize she deserved at Sears: a diamond. "The only reason they gave it to her was because of them cameras," (46) and since the winner was an African-American, Sears decided to give a second place prize, and only published the pictures of this runner-up.. of course, he was white.

Once again, Morrison is exemplifying racism in society. She demonstrates it by referring to the  when Macon Dead says "[Whites] kill a nigger and comb their [dog's] hair at the same time." This sentence on its own proves how paradoxical whites can be: murderers and loving owners at the same time. However, notice how in both of these positions whites have the upper-hand. Just like they did in society.

I believe there is a reason why Morrison decides to make Reba a lucky person. Maybe, she is a personification of luck and Malcolm Dead is greed. Ruth could also be added to this list of personifications, personifying childishness since she breast-fed her son until he was a grown child and she still loved having her father kiss her goodnight, even when it made him uncomfortable.

There must also be a purpose behind Morrison's allusions to American History characters. Malcolm Dead fondly reminisces his childhood, and as he does he names his childhood farm animals: "President Lincoln; [the] foal, Mary Todd; Ulysses S. Grant, their cow; General Lee, their hog." (52) Morrison cant have chosen these names just because she liked it, there has to be a deeper reason, and I still need to find out why.

In addition, there are some topics that Morrison leaves unanswered, probably to appeal to the reader's curiousity. For example, early in the novel, Hagar admits that "some of [her] days were hungry ones." (48) The reader and the other characters present in the scene automatically assumes she has been hungry for food, until Pilate says, "Reba, she doesn't mean food." (49) However, Morrison does not explain what she has actually been hungry for. It remains a secret. But a secret that the audience will hopefully soon discover.