As we’ve begun reading Song of Solomon, I find the little things Toni Morrison incorporates in her narrative that sets this book apart from the other novels we’ve read in this class very interesting. Although there are many underlying themes, some of which are briefly presented in the epigraph, one theme that I’ve questioned is the role of names. In the first chapter, we are introduced to very obscure names, some that we even question the sensibility of. (Guitar? Really? Pilate? Pilot? Pilates? Whatever.) Not only are these names unusual, but also the reasoning behind them is very abnormal.
First we have the line of Macon Deads. First, the name Macon Dead came from a mistake; a tired, drunken, white soldier wrote down everything Macon spoke in the wrong place on his information card. We aren’t even given Macon Dead I’s original name because it doesn’t matter, no one knows it and no one cares. So, to carry on the name, after Macon Dead I, there is Macon Dead II and Macon Dead III. Macon Dead II does stick with the name, sort of. He does work at a place called Sonny’s Shop, even though everyone barely remembers Sonny, the man who used to own the place. But most of the names seem to stick, even if people can’t remember how and why they came to be. This is apparent with Macon Dead III, referred to as Milkman, even though not many know why. Only Freddie, the janitor, (and Ruth) knows the origin of the name (because he came up with it), even Milkman’s own father, Macon Dead II, is unaware of the meaning of the name, but he dislikes it for its negative connotations. This belief is common among most people in the book; they don’t understand the meaning behind the nickname, but they use it anyway because it’s the social norm. It almost completely strips that person’s identity away with regards to their name. The name itself becomes obsolete as that part of a person’s identity becomes unimportant and just another false name in the grand scheme of things.
Another situation where we have a an unusual name is with Macon Dead II’s sister, Pilate Dead. (Pilate as in the man from the bible, not pilates as in a workout that is similar to yoga). Since there is an obvious biblical reference, one would assume that her name has deep meaning in the family...but that would be a wrong assumption. We are given in the first chapter that Pilate’s name is just a random choice. Macon Dead I turned to a random page in the Bible, stuck his finger down, and used the name closest to his finger. Ever after he was told about the the wrong implications of naming one of his children, a daughter to be exact, the name of the man who killed Jesus, he keeps the name anyways, ignoring the repercussions it could have on his daughter later in her life.
In modern society, people usually make a big deal over names. Couples can take up to months or years to decide what to name their children. In the Dead household, this is not the case. Names are chosen randomly or just nonchalantly stuck with, even if they are incorrect. Names both play an important and insignificant role in Song of Solomon at the same time. It’s interesting how names can overlap with the theme of racism in this novel. In Macon Dead I’s case, a white man gave him his name, a name is has stuck with and passed down through his family. All in all, although the names seem ridiculous, they can have some underlying unimportance, even if in the Dead family, they may be tossed aside and considered insignificant.
I don't think that their names are as unimportant as they seem. They are tossed around and often seem meaningless, but that is what's significant about them. Toni Morrison treats names similarly in her novel "Beloved," but it is much clearer how the names are meant to be dehumanizing to the ex-slaves in the novel. They receive names like, Paul A, Paul D, Paul F, and Sixo, as if they are just countable objects you can take inventory on. Names like "Milkman" are almost more fitting for characters, as they are self-appointed and often more meaningful. "Macon Dead" is a name assigned to Milkman's grandfather by white oppressors, and his breaking away from that name is kind of like him claiming his own identity, similar to what he is doing by trying to be different from his father. "Not Doctor Street" has more meaning behind it than "Mains Avenue," as it is a defining characteristic of that road. Pilate's name is meaningful as well, even though it is supposedly chosen at random. It represents her "free spirit" and lifestyle that differs so greatly from her brother's. The names that appear meaningless often seem that way for a reason, and the self-appointed names that many use carry much more meaning behind them and are better identifiers than their legal names.
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