Song of Solomon is written in chronological order, but is filled with many flashbacks from a third person “omniscient” narrative. All the while she intertwines myth and reality, using “myths to underpin her narrative” as commented by Leslie Harris, with an ever changing bipolar type tone. To reveal the theme of “fight or flight” and abandonment of women, even Milkman’s rebirth, Morrison, in the Song of Solomon uses biblical allusions, song, symbols and flashbacks.
Morrison uses flashbacks to help reveal the “flight” with flashbacks of Sugarman jumping off the hospital building, the community thinks it was a victory by him going through the “escape of segregation and racism of the world”, but then it leaves a “plague on the families” stated by Jill Matus. By leaving the wife to raise the kids alone in an already bad environment in the …show more content…
Though she uses foreshadowing through the character’s names she still uses flashbacks at the same time at points, something most readers don’t think about, but should be noted due to the intricacy of her work. Other devices she uses would be song and symbol of “flight” which she shows all through the Song of Solomon, ironically being the name of the novel. Morrison also has a one-of-a-kind style as conveyed through all of these literary devices, along with her unparalleled structure that drags the reader along with Milkman through his journey of self-finding and self-freedom. Not only are you brought along on his journey, but actually believe the journey at times through Morrison’s use of “myths to underpin her narrative, but…never overdo(ing) it, thus preventing the novel from seeming like pure fantasy”, “blending the natural and supernatural and the historically factual with the