In Song of Solomon, names have significance. Some of the characters have their names assigned to them at birth while some do not receive them until several years later, either their actual name or just a nickname. Additionally, a last name of a given character can hold significance, and the Dead family is no exception. For every character with the last name Dead, it bears significance as they eventually die or are already dead, literally or figuratively.
The first person in the Dead family is Macon Dead I (henceforth referred to as Jake for disambiguation). Milkman discovered this by listening and analyzing the children’s song about Jake’s father, Solomon. In it, it states that Solomon attempted to bring Jake on his flight to Africa, but dropped …show more content…
is no longer the same person after his father’s death. Milkman only learns about his past via the locals from Danville, Macon Jr.’s hometown, or from Macon Jr. himself. The people of Danville have fond memories of Macon Jr. which is in sharp contrast to the city in which he lives where he is largely resented. Additionally, his harsh personality only lightens while reminiscing about his past. Evidence for this occurs in Chapter 2, when Milkman confronts him about his past; while preparing to tell him this, he “paused and let the smile come on. He had not said any of this for years.” Since he appears to have an abrupt change in his personality around the time of his father’s murder, this signifies that his gentler personality has died along with his father, with only his unsympathetic demeanor …show more content…
For Macon Sr., he is murdered; this in turn also kills Macon Jr.’s personality by turning him him into a more shrewd individual. For Milkman, he has multiple failed attempts on his life, but leaps off Solomon’s Leap soon after a radical change in his perspective on himself and his relationship with others. For Pilate’s side of the family, two of the three of them actually die, leaving only Reba who is unlikely to marry or have more children. First Corinthians may not be bound to her name if she ends up marrying Henry Porter. For the Ruth and Lena, they are largely devoid of motivation to do more with their lives which is not much better than being dead. All of these cases demonstrate that their last name has at least some impact on them. Since their name is Dead, death has strong literal or symbolic impact on
The first person in the Dead family is Macon Dead I (henceforth referred to as Jake for disambiguation). Milkman discovered this by listening and analyzing the children’s song about Jake’s father, Solomon. In it, it states that Solomon attempted to bring Jake on his flight to Africa, but dropped …show more content…
is no longer the same person after his father’s death. Milkman only learns about his past via the locals from Danville, Macon Jr.’s hometown, or from Macon Jr. himself. The people of Danville have fond memories of Macon Jr. which is in sharp contrast to the city in which he lives where he is largely resented. Additionally, his harsh personality only lightens while reminiscing about his past. Evidence for this occurs in Chapter 2, when Milkman confronts him about his past; while preparing to tell him this, he “paused and let the smile come on. He had not said any of this for years.” Since he appears to have an abrupt change in his personality around the time of his father’s murder, this signifies that his gentler personality has died along with his father, with only his unsympathetic demeanor …show more content…
For Macon Sr., he is murdered; this in turn also kills Macon Jr.’s personality by turning him him into a more shrewd individual. For Milkman, he has multiple failed attempts on his life, but leaps off Solomon’s Leap soon after a radical change in his perspective on himself and his relationship with others. For Pilate’s side of the family, two of the three of them actually die, leaving only Reba who is unlikely to marry or have more children. First Corinthians may not be bound to her name if she ends up marrying Henry Porter. For the Ruth and Lena, they are largely devoid of motivation to do more with their lives which is not much better than being dead. All of these cases demonstrate that their last name has at least some impact on them. Since their name is Dead, death has strong literal or symbolic impact on