Character Analysis of Pilate in Songs of Solomon - Essay Sample

Introduction

In Toni Morrison's novel "Songs of Solomon", Pilate is the predecessor who, as the pundit Stelamaris Coser notes, resembles "the main indication of a fundamental dark custom making due in the modern urban condition." Milkman's "pilot" on his "flight" home, she opposes every generalization of a dark lady and epitomizes Morrison's dismissal of two-fold reasoning (Morrison, 14).

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Pilate is Macon II's sister and a Christ-like character who magnanimously commits herself to other people, including Reba, Hagar, and Milkman. Her alleged ownership of a colossal fortune in gold gives the setup to the second part of the novel. Pilate appears to be free of the tension and claustrophobia of the novel's wealthier characters, for example, Ruth, and she challenges sexual orientation standards by wearing men's dress and taking a generally manly activity, bootlegging, for herself. To a large extent a static character, Pilate shows immense compassion and love for her little girl, Reba, and her granddaughter, Hagar. On the few events when she demonstrates any animosity or outrage, she's proving her reliability to her family.

Pilate can likewise be viewed as the hero of "Song of Solomon" since she is the novel's ethical guide. Although the storyteller once in a while centers around what Pilate is feeling or considering, favoring rather focus on Milkman's mission, Pilate's quality is felt in every part of the novel. In spite of being named after the Roman statesman who, as indicated by the New Testament, authorized Jesus' execution, Pilate is incapable of mercilessness. It is increasingly precise to see her name as a homonym for "pilot." She is always in a mission to guide somebody who needs guidance, for example, the skeleton of her dead dad, or Milkman, amid his profound adventure.

Similarly, as Milkman falls short of recognizing Pilate's natural beauty and status until he sees it reflected in the ladies of Shalimar, we might fail to acknowledge her power and fearlessness until we relate it in the African history and traditional folklore context. From the perspective of African tradition and view, we find that Pilate is both "griot" - a storyteller, and town senior, accused of protecting the social memory of her kin, and an astute, moral educator who offers another vision of things to come (Wagner-Martin, 26-28). A seer and root lady gifted in the craft of voodoo, she is a healer and peacemaker who has no misgivings about falling back on any methods essential to ensure protection to those whom she loves.

Pilate holds dear family values and her crossbreed of African-American heritage and legacy, as portrayed by her guilt (p45). Driven by an unselfish wish to care for others and make them better, Pilate surrenders her meandering way of life to give a stable home to her granddaughter, Hagar, and to look after Ruth, her sister-in-law, who is "deprived of love." Portraying both male and female traits, Pilate is related to the wickedness of serpents and snakes. In this context, she is both Adam and Eve, representing Christ and Satan at the same time. At the point when Milkman first observes her, she is situated with "one foot pointed east and one pointed west," a stance that demonstrates that she grasps both Eastern and Western (African and American) values and qualities. Pilate's commanding, firm position and her adoration for her fourth-grade geology book point out to the blessed angel in Revelation who holds a little book and sets his left foot on dry land and his right foot upon the sea.

Pilates stands out as the genuine hero as per the usual Eurocentric guidelines. Odysseus roams for a long time (ten years); Pilate roams for ten years and encounters a progression of experiences that shape her character and free her to settle on hard decisions concerning the societal works. From the minute she is born out of her mother's womb, she makes herself, improving her circumstance by stirring her way up from washerwoman to a visionary entrepreneur. In contrast to her brother, Macon, who acquires his riches from Ruth, Pilate makes her wealth individually (Wagner-Martin, 18-21). What's more, not typical for Odysseus, whose venture is supported by divine beings and goddesses with supernatural powers, Pilate herself is filled with extraordinary powers; she finishes her journey without the assistance of other divine interventions or magic powers. She is a brave lady who embraces full accountability for her life and faces life head on, but since she is neither male and white nor youthful and beautiful, her achievements are limited and her insight undermined by everybody, including the black people.

Like her dad, who dismissed the scriptural association with Pilate as "Person who crucified Christ" and preferred it because the state of the word itself helped him to remember a tree (p77). Pilate refuses to settle on the definition as per the weaknesses of others and works hard to curve her own identity. She saves Milkman from his profoundly dead being, just as the scriptural Pontius Pilate delivered Jesus to his adversaries. By making herself, Pilate has made her figurative wings that as observed by Milkman, gives her the ability to "fly" at the same time remaining grounded.

Even though Pilate's activities in the novel are less documented than Milkman's, her job is outstanding too. Conceived without a navel and separated from others, Pilate is an overcomer of similar racism subjected to Milkman and Malcom Jr. Furthermore, Pilate is quite a loving, and caring person hence does not get bothered by the racism talks. One of her regrets, when she dies, is that she ought to have spread the love to more people in the society. Pilate's adoring nature does not mean a shortcoming but instead a sign of strength. At the point when a man beats her little girl, Reba, Pilate points a knife an inch close to the man's heart, warning him never to mess with her daughter again (Wagner-Martin, 56). Pilates wins this battle despite being an old woman (60years) while Reba's tormentor being a vibrant young man.

Annotated Bibliography

Morrison, Toni, and Reynolds Price. "Song of Solomon (1977)." (1978): 14.

This is a fiction novel in which mystery unfolds upon mystery and a lot of revelations are done in this novel. The vision of things we have witnessed turns and manifests themselves into new dynamics, as seen in the character analysis of Pilates in this essay. The novel portrays some passion and compassion of societal activities affecting our lives today with some form of supernatural powers related to African societies and norms.

Wagner-Martin, Linda. Toni Morrison: A literary life. Springer, 2015.

This book is a fictional work about the readings of Toni Morrison's novel Songs of Solomon. It draws extensively from Morrison's many extended interviews and the primary novel work. The author aligns the diversities of societies explaining the characters which manifest themselves in the current societies today. It was vital in the analysis of the characters of Pilates.