Gold as a Mirror Reflecting Personality
The beginning of the Song of Solomon focuses on Milkman’s ordinary life, but the ordinary turns extraordinary when Macon first mentions the gold which quickly becomes the focus of the latter half of the book. I think it’s really interesting to look at different characters’ reactions to the gold. Through the way they treat the gold, we can learn a lot about their true personalities. Macon: The way Macon treats the gold clearly reflects his personality. Throughout the book, Macon has been obsessed with showing off his wealth and protecting it, at any cost. He is separated from his family because he puts money over people. He doesn’t hesitate to order his son to break into his sister’s house. He feels a need to get the money that he thinks is rightfully his, a need greater than concern for his son’s safety doing this illegal task or his sister’s property and happiness (Morrison 172). Pilate: As an adult, Pilate never tells us her feelings about the gold, but that in itself indicate...