Song of Solomon

by

Toni Morrison

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Song of Solomon makes teaching easy.

Song of Solomon Symbols

Flight

Song of Solomon begins and ends with images of flight, and abounds with allusions to flying throughout its pages. The “flight” the opens the book is a failure: Smith tries to fly away from Mercy… read analysis of Flight

Gold

For much of his life, Milkman believes that flight is a form of escape. After growing tired of Hagar, he wants to escape their relationship, and in large part, he wants Pilate’s goldread analysis of Gold

The Earring

In contrast to the economic interpretation of “flight,” Morrison suggests a more internal, spiritual meaning for the word. One can fly by involving oneself in one’s community and one’s friends; paradoxically, devotion to others yields… read analysis of The Earring

Pilate’s Missing Navel

While flight is clearly the most important symbol in Song of Solomon – the most recurrent, the most evocative, the most clearly related to the protagonists’ character arc – gold is nearly as important. read analysis of Pilate’s Missing Navel