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The Tragic Hero In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

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Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon has traits within its plot and characters that make it comparable to some of the classic tragedies. According to Aristotle in his Poetics, a tragic hero must have a reversal of fortune, hamartia which is a flaw in judgement or character as well as a realization of that flaw later on, and their character must be true to life. Pilate Dead, despite being a more minor character in the novel, is the tragic hero within the plot of Song of Solomon. Pilate experienced her reversal of fortune rather early in her life. Some might argue that this was in the days after her birth, in which it was revealed that she lacked a navel, causing people to judge her for the rest of her life. But the most obvious change in her fortune …show more content…
Pilate’s flaw is the fact that she almost looks down on society. Her mindset is essentially that since society has been consistent in the manner in which she was regarded due to her differences physically and mentally, she should just reject them and isolate herself. Her self-inflicted reclusiveness is a hindrance in reforging her relationship with her brother and helping the family she supposedly cares about. Of course, having this particular shortcoming does not make Pilate a bad person. Aristotle deliberately addresses the fact that a tragic hero must be good overall in stating “First, and most important, it must be good.” (Aristotle: XV;20), referring to the character. Pilate lets her flaw get the best of her and it is not until moments before her death that she openly recognizes her views towards society as a negative thing. She acknowledges it when Milkman is cradling her and she says “I wish I’d a knowed more people.” and “If I’d a knowed more, I would a loved more.” (Morrison: Pg 336). This moment in the novel showcases Pilate’s regret in not opening up to others and getting to know them rather than assuming that every individual she comes across has nothing worthwhile to offer based on her prior unfavorable life …show more content…
In stating this, Aristotle is implying that a good tragic hero must be relatable and realistic. Pilate meets this criterion because throughout the book, the reader can tell that Pilate is the most level-headed character in the novel as well as being very grounded and taking on certain priorities in her life that are more genuine than some of the other characters. Pilate values her family above everything else in life, with her daughter and granddaughter at the top of that pedestal. Towards the end of the novel, Pilate shows just how much she cares about those two as she chides Reba for making a fuss about her wanting to take a bath after getting up for the first time in three days, telling her to “Let the child take care of herself.” (Morrison: Pg. 309). This shows that Pilate values Hagar’s desires and knows that as long as Hagar thought that something was important they should treat it as such, especially if it means that she would be happier and potentially in a better mental state. She also understood that Hagar was not completely there at the time and made a point to tread lightly. She even indulged her with the little money she had, allowing her to use Reba’s diamond to go out and buy new things in the hopes of catching Milkman’s eye again and winning him back. Pilate is also one of the only free characters due to the fact that she simply does not pay any

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