Song of Solomon Themes

In Song of Solomon we see a young man undergo an odyssey toward finding himself and toward finding his people. All along the way, he struggles with the concept of community that compels him to forg...

Love is talked about tirelessly throughout Song of Solomon, and the lack of it repeatedly drives women insane with loss. It is often confused for possession and ownership. Many are deprived of it,...

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...

Though Song spans nearly four generations of American history, we spend the most time in 1960s America, on the eve of the Civil Rights movement. We are immersed in the black experience in America,...

Homes symbolize status in the world of Song of Solomon and also indicate how a person copes, feels, and identifies materialistically with the world around him. We are presented with a spectrum of h...

The question of what is natural and what is unnatural is one that threads its way throughout Song. Therefore, the idea of the supernatural is extremely important, pointing to higher powers and grea...

In this novel, women are those left behind. We see them trapped in their marriages and in their societal niches, crushed by the heavy burden of survival. While men are associated with flying and fl...

We see our protagonist fight against the wilds of Virginia, unaccustomed to the problems it presents him. By contrast we see those people born in this wilderness navigate it effortlessly. The natur...

Song of Solomon's protagonist literally embarks upon a journey of exploration, the initial goal being the discovery of gold. But this quest eventually morphs into an exploration of identity, family...

We hear the characters of Song of Solomon constantly retell the same story, adding new detail and specifics with each recollection. In this way, we see the power the storyteller holds in choosing w...