Blog Post 8: Be a MAN!

So far in the book 'Song of Solomon', Toni Morrison gives her characters names that are based off characters from the Bible. Each one of them have their own story. The way that they act, is in comparison of the character from the Bible. Pilate was named after Pilate who killed Jesus. It is stated in the text, "No. Not like a riverboat pilot. Like a Christ-killing Pilate" (Morrison pg.19). The names are a Biblical allusion that connects this book with the Bible. Pilates dad needed a name for her so he went through the Bible but he had no understanding of Biblical names or the Bible in general so he just went with whatever he found. In this time period, African Americans were not so well educated, others not at all. Chapter one is a bit complicated to get an understanding of it, but family is significant because it develops a character and helps the character form him/herself on how they will be when they grow. I have read the Bible and according to it, Pilate was some sort of governor in the town of Jerusalem. He was the one who in  a way made Jesus get killed on the Cross. Today in class, Dr. Lewis talked about geography. She asked us to think of a place, to describe who were there, what they were talking about, and what did our main character know. She then explained to us that what surrounds a character in book, is what they will use to develop themselves with.