"They called it Not Doctor Street, and were inclined to call the charity hospital at its northern end No Mercy Hospital since it was 1931 before the first colored expectant mother was allowed to give birth inside its wards and not on its steps.” (4)

“Macon Dead never knew how it came about--how his only son acquired the nickname that stuck in spite of his own refusal to use it or acknowledge it. It was a matter that concerned him a good deal, for the giving of names in his family was always surrounded by what he believed to be monumental foolishness” (15).

Milkman's father, Macon Dead is known and generally disliked for taking advantage of people of his own race to further his career (🌍). As a result of his father's reputation and Milkman's shared name, people often place judgement upon him before meeting him.

To his father Milkman isn't a complete person, 💰 Milkman is only something that can keep Macon Dead's legacy alive. (This is also proved by the passing down of his name 👤)

To his mother, Milkman is not entirely a real person as well. He is the result of her desire to become closer to her husband, but now that her desire has vanished, Milkman's purpose seems unfulfilled and useless to her. 💰

Milkman had been spoiled from a young age and this can be traced back to his mother. Ruth wanted to have some source of happiness after her father's death, and after Milkman's birth had no benefit to her relationship with Macon Dead, as a result she babied him. Milkman developed a reliance on Ruth and Macon, trapping himself in their home. 👥

Lena's anger developed from Milkman's (and other men's) constant taking advantage of her and her sister. Milkman doesn't recognize the women in his life as people, and finally, when the last positive outcome of Milkman's overbearing masculinity died, Lena told him the truth. 👩

Milkman argues that those who are not committing the crime are innocent, even if they do benefit from racism. A lot of white people are making sacrifices for African Americans so killing at random is dangerous.

Guitar argues back that even if there are some white people standing up for African Americans, that many people have unnatural behaviors and that many people kill for the fun of it. This means they have an ignorance for moral consequences and the only consequences they will obey are direct.

Porter implies that his hatred for Macon Dead is rooted in the amount of times Macon has taken advantage of him and the African American race to fulfill his own greed. 💰

African folklore relates to major themes of flight in Song of Solomon. African Americans in this novel escape from the boundaries set for them by their families and racism by flying way ✈.

Racism occurring during the time period of "Song of Solomon* included the racist housing system. Macon Dead took advantage of this and profited off of other's misery. 💰

Macon Dead's selection of names was thoughtless because his children symbolized his relationship with Ruth, something he did not hold in high regard. The only name he did not randomly select from the Bible was Milkman's (Macon Dead). He gives Macon his name because he selfishly wants him to carry on his legacy 💰. Another possibility for his random method of name selection could be from his loving relationship with his own father who also blindly selected his children's names 👥.

Naming someone is a big responsibility, it determines the life of a person. When one takes that responsibility lightly it shows their un-interest in the person's future. #