Identity

Morrison likes to point out how important concepts like identity are throughout the Song of Solomon. One character through which she demonstrates the importance of identity is Pilate. At one point in her life, Pilate had to do a complete self-evaluation. She needed to know what made her happy in life and what she wanted to do with it. How was she going to spend her life? She had been denied many things in her left up to this point because of her race, gender, and just the fact that she didn’t have a naval. She let these things dictate many decisions about her life so far and left society be the ruling factor in her life. At one point though, she says enough is enough. Society can’t decide what she wants to do with her life, she will just do what makes her happy. She gave up societal norms like table manners and cut off her hair, but she gained what made her happy as an individual. She gained a deep respect for the privacy of others and a deep respect for “human relations”. She took up making wine and whiskey because it gave her freedom and independence while still being able to live the way she wanted. Doing what she wants and not caring about societal norms is what allows Pilate to live as her true self, and means that her identity is very important to her. She kept the bones of the white man as a reminder of her past, where she came from. Morrison uses Pilate to demonstrate how important identity is.