Song_of_Solomon_Focal_Character

Focal Character: Pilate In the Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Pilate is a major character who gives important guidance to milkman in his journey of self discovery. Her abstract lifestyle gave Milkman a new out look on the world and helped him in his journey of self discovery. (PG.27)Pilate was an outcast in her community and also a spiritual leader to her family. Pilate is pushed aside from the black community in part because of her “absence Of a navel “after her acceptance of the deformity she steps way from the “community “ as she feels like it should be starting from zero. (PG.39)Her household is set up with differently than others distancing herself from the world ,making wine but not drinking it , having no electricity, wearing men’s boots wearing her short hair all distance herself from the community. The spiritual guidance she gives to Milkman and Macon by the songs she sings because she thinks that is what her father wants her to do.(PG.131) Her encouragement to Ruth to help give her a child with Macon is successful because of Pilate’s confidence in herself to be able to help someone. Pilate’s misconstrued idea of the meaning of her father saying “sing” in away is what made her who she is before seeing her father ,she would have followed Macon. Pilate giving strength to Milkman and secretly Macon by her singing gives her role of the historian and of the spiritual leader to her family and empowers milkman to fly and also flies to escape the “ignorance” of people who thought she did “not come to this with through normal channels.”