From the beginning of the novel, Pilate was very closely linked to the action of singing. She is introduced singing the “Sugarman” song in the opening pages, establishing an important pattern of song that travels to the very end of the book. Women are the only ones who sing, seemingly to establish a sort of gender divide, which is eventually flipped on itself. Pilate’s subtle guidance allows for Milkman to shed the idea that manhood and adulthood are inherently intertwined ideas in order to emphasize the idea that a coming of age is not defined by gender, but rather an awareness of a person’s true self and the love that accompanies it. Pilate’s song about “Sugarman,” which she is frequently heard singing, is the very thing that spurs Milkman
