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Song of Solomon - Coggle Diagram

- - - - foreshadows disaster
        
        The peacock itself symbolizes the corrupting allure of wealth, just as when Macon Jr. saw the gold in the cave as a spread peacock's tail and became obsessed with accumulating wealth. This greed is evil because it makes Macon Jr. a tyrant and eventually turns Guitar against Milkman.
  - - - especially quest for Pilate's aforementioned gold which is actually just a bag of bones
      - matierialism corrupts guitar
  - - - By giving Milkman the box containing Hagar's hair, Pilate entrusts him with her granddaughter's soul. According to the voodoo religion, the hair and fingernails of the deceased contain the dead person's soul and generally are burned to keep them out of the hands of individuals who might want to harm the soul of the deceased or keep it from finding peace in the afterlife. Pilate's action also reflects her adherence to her father's philosophy: "You just can't fly on off and leave a body." Because Milkman is responsible for Hagar's death, he must assume responsibility for her soul, thus carrying on the tradition Pilate has established by caring for the bones she thought belonged to the white man whom her brother supposedly killed in Hunter's Cave.
      - By burying her father's bones, Pilate demonstrates her faith that the legacy of the Dead family will live on through Milkman. Now that Milkman knows his true name, Pilate is able to bury her name, contained in her brass earring. Having completed her task, she accepts her death as she listens to Milkman sing Solomon's song. But even in death, Pilate's concern is not for herself but for Reba, the daughter she must leave behind: "Watch Reba for me," she instructs Milkman. Her only regret is not having known more people so she could have "loved 'em all." Thus Milkman's quest is secondary to the lessons on grace and mercy that he learns through Pilate's wisdom and unconditional love.
  - - - past generations were illiterate, songs rather than history books tell the story of the past
        
        Pilate’s songs about Sugarman, for instance, encourage Milkman’s quest to Virginia. Similarly, the songs Milkman hears about Solomon and Ryna inform him of the mysterious fate of his ancestors, and keep him on the path to self-discovery.
    - - When Macon Jr. is depressed, for example, he secretly listens to Pilate’s songs under her windows. Similarly, after Hagar dies, both Pilate and Reba cope with their grief by singing a mighty rendition of a gospel tune.
  - - - not doctor street: Dr. Foster’s street is officially labeled Mains Avenue. But after his death, it is commonly known as “Not Doctor Street.” Although the official name is accurate, the popular name is more descriptive.
      - merciless hospital: real name is mercy hospital
    - - When Milkman finds out his grandfather’s true name he begins to feel proud of himself and his family.
    - - often replaced by names from the oral tradition
- - - - the rise of the New Deal Coalition, the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Power Movement, etc.
  - - - When Guitar and Milkman steal Pilate’s bones, for instance, Pilate goes out of her way to think of a lie so that they wont be kept in jail. Even when Milkman’s cruelty leads to Hagar’s depression and death, Pilate doesn’t kill Milkman; she hits him over the head with a bottle and later lets him go. If Guitar were in Pilate’s position, he’d kill Milkman without a second thought. Mercy, then, is the suspension of “an eye for an eye,” and it hinges on the principle of forgiveness.