Names are often thought to hold some power or have some important meaning and it is clear that that applies to The Song of Solomon. Most of the important characters in the novel have a name that has some significance and represents their character in some way. For example, Macon Dead III's nickname, Milkman, has significance throughout the novel. It is inherently demeaning in some way and makes him seem less grown-up. Guitar even uses it that way on purpose and shortens it into Milk sometimes. But this nickname actually represents his attitude towards life. He was very childlike throughout the start of the novel and didn't really care about anything. This changes at the end and as he becomes passionate about finding his family he becomes more like an adult. Guitar even proves this by calling him "my main man" right at the end which is a lot more respectful that Milk. This makes it seem like names really do reflect something about the characters in the novel.
This applies to other characters in the novel as well. Pilate's whose name marks her as different. But there is also some sort of mystery around her character about her navel and whatever powers she might have that match her difference of her name. Macon Dead II, whose life is utterly void of anything that you are meant to enjoy in life, and therefore his life seems dead. And also Circe, whose name is the same as Circe from Homer's Odyssey. But this also seems to match. Circe in the book seems far too old to be alive and Milkman felt like it could have also been a dream. Circe, the witch, is also known for turning men into pigs, and there is something strange about the way the golden-eyed dogs are described. The importance of names is found throughout the novel and helps to describe the characters.
Nice post! I wrote about a similar thing in my blog post. I found it interesting that the names seemed so random, but were deliberately picked and add another meaning to the character and the book. It's also interesting to see that the nicknames that Guitar calls Milkman changes throughout the novel as they both get older and change.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I hope you enjoyed our panel presentation on this topic on Tuesday. The one thing that I would add to this post is a discussion of the title Song of Solomon being related to the Bible. The theme of love in the bible speaks to the undertones of love throughout Song of Solomon.
ReplyDeleteIt's also interesting to think about what purpose Lena and Corinthians' names serve. They further distance the girls from most people and, in my opinion, almost dehumanize them, just as Milkman dehumanized his family in his mind. I think that the smaller characters' names are just as fascinating as the main characters', and it's really interesting to think about. Nice post!
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