Influential African-American Thinkers and Their Relation to Morrison's Characters

W. E. B. Du Bois:

The plot of Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison is deeply integrated into the history of African American culture and ideology in pre-civil rights America. When analyzing this novel through a historical lens, it is apparent that many of Morrison’s characters are similar in thought, if not representative of key leaders of African American during this time of bloodshed. One of these leaders, W. E. B. Du Bois, is particularly evident in this book as fragments of his ideas can be seen throughout the book. Of his main ideas, “black separatism” and “double-consciousness” particularly echo in that rational of Guitar Bains. Similar to Bains, Du Bois held a deep pride, and was adamant about not simply integrating into “Anglo-Saxon” society, but instead wanted African-Americans “to preserve and develop enough racial distinctiveness to enable them to maintain and foster a sense of racial identity; community; and pride” (Wolters, 2). You can see this pride of his community and race echoed in Guitar’s explanation of why he runs missions for the “Seven Days” when he says “No love? No love? Didn’t you hear me? What I’m doing ain’t about hating white people. It’s about loving us. About loving you. My whole life is love” (Morrison, 159). Guitar’s “love” of his community and his desire to get justice for African-Americans is synonymous with Du Bois’s demand of equality in the form of full manhood suffrage for African American men (Wolters, 55) as a means to get immediate justice and protection. Morrison nearly directly references Du Bois when Guitar says “Did they prove anything scientifically about us before they killed us? No. They killed us first and then tried to get some scientific proof about why we should die” (Morrison 157). This idea of whites searching for “scientific proof” is a clear nod at Du Bois who was a clear critic of the idea of “white supremacy” (or the idea that white people are scientifically superior) and wrote articles criticizing the idea that African Americans were inferior in any way. The relationship between Guitar and Milkman can also be seen as representative of the convoluted friendship of opposing ideologists Du Bois and Booker T. Washington. Although both fought for rights, Du Bois thought that “black submission in the face of white injustice demeaned African Americans and led to a sense of helplessness and to a loss of the pride, initiative, and self-reliance that Booker T. Washington himself had called for” (Wolters, 55). In essence, Du Bois rejected Booker’s idea of slowly integrating into society by the accumulation of wealth, and preferred that African Americans are more aggressive in gaining their own justice through preserving and growing their culture while taking power. This relationship of friends with differing visions of the proper direction of their race is mirrored by Milkman and Guitar’s friendship. In this relationship, Milkman (representing Washington) is more in favor of gaining wealth and avoiding upsetting the status quo. Conversely, Guitar prefers a more radical and abrupt justice, and wants African Americans to keep a strong communal bond. Finally, one of the major themes of Morrison’s book is the idea of the preservation of history within a community. This sentiment is experienced many times in the book, most notably when Milkman ventures back to his grandfather’s farm to find gold, but instead begins to unravel the history behind his family. This reflects Du Bois idea that African American culture needs to be preserved rather than abandoned just to assimilate into white society. Morrison, obviously a student of the heritage within the establishment of her culture, has allowed the ideas of famous thinkers of the civil rights movement to influence the ideas and justifications of her character (especially Guitar Bains). As ghosts are important in Song of Solomon, it seems fitting that readers may be able to see the ghost of W. E. B. De Bois and his ideas of the preservation of African American heritage and the non-submissive pursuit of rights.

Work Cited

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Knopf, 1977:157. Print.

Wolters, Raymond. Du Bois and His Rivals. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press, 2002. Print.

Malcolm X

In Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, the character Guitar Bains strongly resembles Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little), who was a African American rights activist during the same time period as Song of Solomon. The comparison is evident when Milkman says that Guitar sounds “like that red-headed Negro named X (Morrison, 160)”, referring to Malcolm X, whose nickname was Detroit Red. Based on their responses to the racist crimes against African Americans, the similarities between the two cannot be ignored. Guitar becomes one of the Seven Days, an organization formed to maintain balance between the killings of whites and African Americans. When describing Seven Days, Guitar says,eTHe “but when a Negro child, Negro woman, or Negro man is killed by whites and nothing is done about it by their law and their courts, this society selects a similar victim at random, and they execute him or her in a similar manner if they can (Morrison, 154).” In the book Malcolm X for Beginners by Bernard Aquina Doctor, Malcolm X is quoted as saying “expecting the white police to look out for us is like putting the fox in charge of guarding the chicken house (Doctor, 87).” Both of these quotes express anger towards the white justice system not properly responding to the racial hate crimes that were running rampant through the country. Guitar’s method of dealing with this by murder reflects that of Malcolm X. Malcolm X explains that “it’s a crime in the face of all the violence that’s been perpetrated on the negro to expect them to be nonviolent (Doctor, 86).” Through this use of association between Malcolm X and the character Guitar, Morrison affectively showcases a method of dealing with the racial turmoil using violence, which can be used as a contrast against the character Milkman.

Work Cited

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Knopf, 1977:157. Print.

Doctor, Bernard. Malcolm X for Beginners. New York, NY: Writers and Readers, 1992. Print

Booker T. Washington

Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon addresses multiple themes surrounding the interracial battle for civil rights of African Americans in the 1930’s. In the examination of systems of belief, a key comparison can be drawn between one of the main characters of the novel, Milkman Foster, and the notable civil rights activist of the late nineteenth century, Booker T. Washington. A significant similarity between the two African American men can be seen in their individual approaches to the struggle of white supremacy. Like Booker T. Washington, Milkman, maintains an accomodationalist stance on issues of race, while challenging the use of aggressive retaliation as an effective means of progress. Washington upheld a method of cooperation and a system of gradual advancement through negotiation, and thus, championed an increase in jobs and political significance for African Americans in a peaceful manner (Moore, “Struggle for Racial Uplift”). Similar to Milkman’s view on strategies of increasing opportunities for blacks, Washington supported the use of “behind the scenes pressure” (Moore, 67) and the avoidance of violence and the antagonizing of whites. Through the utilization of self-help, a pillar of industrial education, and hard work, Washington believed that economic progress would soon follow. The character Milkman in Song of Solomon experiences internal turmoil and confusion at the barbaric tactics and lack of self-control exhibited by the local terrorist society in his community. He displays his conservative stance and disapproval of violence when discussing the topic with his cohort Guitar by stating, “Wait a minute, Guitar. If they are as bad, as unnatural, as you say, why do you want to be like them? Don’t you want to be better than they are?”(Morrison, 157). Milkman’s disbelief in the destructive actions of the terrorist group reflects his pacifist approach and at the same time stresses the connection of racism with alienation from humanity that characterized the efforts and beliefs of Booker T. Washington as well. In addition, a link can be forged between Milkman and Washington in their similar belief in the power of material possessions. Washington states, “There is no doubt in many quarters as to the ability of the Negro unguided, unsupported, to hew his own path and put into visible, tangible, indisputable form, products and signs of civilization”(Washington, 28). In opposition to the display of vengeance through murder, the character Milkman stresses the need for physical proof of status, instead, in his continual conquest for material possessions and wealth. Drawing a connection between the character Milkman in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon and the racial activist Booker T. Washington reveals defined similarities on methods of challenging white supremacy in a diplomatic manner as well as the improvement of the black condition through personal motivation and hard work.

Works Cited

Moore, Jacqueline M. Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, and the Struggle for Racial Uplift. Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, 2003:67. Print.

Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Knopf, 1977:157. Print.

Washington, Booker T. The Negro Problem. Amherst, NY: Humanity, 2003:28. Print.