The Impact of Race in Song of Solomon In Toni Morrison’s novel, Song of Solomon I believe that race plays a vital role on how the plot of the novel plays out. Race can be seen in many instances throughout the novel such as in
1. The community
2. Killings that occurred
3. People were referred to in context of their race.
4. References to colored objects
In these occurrences, race is seen as an influencing factor that has shaped the plot to lie out the way it did. The first example where race is a prominently shown in the community is seen in the Southside. The Southside community is a predominantly black community where Macon II houses many of his residents. Southside is known for the bars and barbershops located there but are also where Mercy Hospital and Doctor Street are located as well. If …show more content…
In Song of Solomon, the main setting is Southside and many of the black and white issues occur there. If the book’s setting was not in a racially divided community then Song of Solomon would lose many of its influencing points to the plot. In the community, the second example of where race plays an important role is Mercy Hospital. In the opening chapter, we learn that Mercy Hospital had never admitted a black patient until Dr. Foster’s daughter, Ruth. Since the opening of the hospital Ruth gives birth to the hospital’s first black baby. “The next day, a colored baby was born inside Mercy for the first time”(9). The reason for the hospital’s generosity to Ruth was because the hospital never granted Dr. Foster, the black doctor, any privileges and only two of his patients who were admitted into the hospital were white. There are many ways the plot could change if the hospital was not segregated. First, the black people in the community would not have to travel to another hospital that could be across town or even in another town. If Mercy Hospital admitted blacks then blacks would be able to get the help they needed quicker because the hospital is located
1. The community
2. Killings that occurred
3. People were referred to in context of their race.
4. References to colored objects
In these occurrences, race is seen as an influencing factor that has shaped the plot to lie out the way it did. The first example where race is a prominently shown in the community is seen in the Southside. The Southside community is a predominantly black community where Macon II houses many of his residents. Southside is known for the bars and barbershops located there but are also where Mercy Hospital and Doctor Street are located as well. If …show more content…
In Song of Solomon, the main setting is Southside and many of the black and white issues occur there. If the book’s setting was not in a racially divided community then Song of Solomon would lose many of its influencing points to the plot. In the community, the second example of where race plays an important role is Mercy Hospital. In the opening chapter, we learn that Mercy Hospital had never admitted a black patient until Dr. Foster’s daughter, Ruth. Since the opening of the hospital Ruth gives birth to the hospital’s first black baby. “The next day, a colored baby was born inside Mercy for the first time”(9). The reason for the hospital’s generosity to Ruth was because the hospital never granted Dr. Foster, the black doctor, any privileges and only two of his patients who were admitted into the hospital were white. There are many ways the plot could change if the hospital was not segregated. First, the black people in the community would not have to travel to another hospital that could be across town or even in another town. If Mercy Hospital admitted blacks then blacks would be able to get the help they needed quicker because the hospital is located