We see a troubled universe in Song of Solomon, where racism and inequality run rampant, touching and affecting every character’s life in significant ways. We are exposed to a society divided along racial lines, and we are given access to the black community, watching the effects of slavery and racism over four generations of American history. We witness America’s inability to see beyond race, and to honor Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. We see how racism is both socially, systematically, and economically perpetuated. Feeling that there is no solution, no way out, no means of achieving the inalienable rights Lincoln spoke of, a society within the black community is formed in order to kill white people.
Questions About Race
- Are the Seven Days justified in what they do?
- What is Milkman’s relationship to race?
- Is there a relationship between money and race? Between materialism and racism?
Chew on This
In order to seek identity, Milkman must examine himself as an individual and in the context of the black community.
White people are unnatural in the world of Song of Solomon