RACISM

IN
TONI MORISON’S 
SONG OF SOLOMON 
Presented By:
Yosr Salhi & Yoldez Bessghaier
OUTLINE:
I. Introduction:
1) Historical Context
2) RACISM: Definition
3) How is Racism Introduced in the Novel

II. Racism Between Different Races

1) Whites towards Blacks

• Discrimination
• Violence & The Contribution of Higher Powers in
Establishing Racism

2) Blacks towards Whites: A Counter Discourse

III. Racism Within a Single Race (Blacks towards Blacks):

• Racism and Social Class
• Racism and Beauty Standards
V. CONCLUSION
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

• Toni Morrison (Chloe Anthony Wofford): born in 1931

to a middle Class family that fled the south to escape slavery

• « Song of Solomon » was written between 1975 and 1977:

After the passage of the Civil Rights Act and the Voting
Rights Act in 1964
 RACE(ISM)
• Race: A group of people who are biologically related
• The awareness of the existence of different
races

 Racism is not always about hate; Loving a

certain person because of their “Race” is
racist (SOS,128)
How is Racism Introduced in the Novel ?

“I'm writing for black people…I don’t have to

apologize ”
Toni Morrison
Racism Among Different Races In
« Song of Solomon »:
1) Whites Towards Blacks

• Discrimination (Based on Race) In Public

Facilities:

o Mercy Hospital

o Putting orphan black children in jail (SOS,109)

o Renting/buying properties

“He knew as a Negro he wasn’t going to get a big slice of the

Pie, But there were properties no body wanted yet, or little
Edges of property somebody didn’t want Jews to have, or
Catholics to have, or properties nobody knew were of any value
Yet” (SOS, 63)
• Demeaning any black person, preventing
them from even “looking” strong (SOS,6)

• Degrading blacks as a race (SOS, 60)

• Hagar’s prize winning: White privilege

(SOS,46)
Violence & The Contribution of Higher Powers
in Establishing Racism

• Trivializing the death of blacks by white society

(SOS,80), the media (SOS,80) , and the law
(SOS,82)

• Whites manipulating facts to serve their purpose

(SOS,100/101)
 Naturalizing Racist Ideologies:

• Blacks are entitled to certain kind of jobs and

cannot be expected to be educated : Corinthians
case (SOS,189)
 “There’s no colored people who can afford to have
two houses” (SOS, 33)

 Blacks are poor: A Grand Narrative / A “Truth”

 Violence that psychologically disabled
blacks from thinking highly of themselves

 It is not whites that teach blacks these kind

of racist stereotypes, they hear them from
other blacks
2) Blacks towards Whites:

•Guitar political identity as a member of the Seven Days

(terrorist organization) was an outcome of his father’s
death.

•White people disgust him they are “potential nigger-

killer, if not an actual one.” (SOS,156/157/158)

•The seven days want to assume power over whites by

taking the role of violence .
• Black people have experienced racism that made
them cold to the deaths of white people.

•The white peacock that appeared could represent

white people that guitar wants to kill. (SOS,179)

Mainly racism towards whites is represented

through guitar who despises white community and
joins the Seven days organization to take revenge .
Racism Within a Single Race
1) Racism and Social Class

• Capitalism teaches us to fetish material property

« Own things, And let the things you own, own other
things, Then you’ll own yourself and other people
too » (SOS,55)

 Macon has Created another Identity where

ownership play supreme
« Macon and his family exemplify the
patriarchal, nuclear family which traditionally
has been a critical and stable feature in
western societies »
-Bryce Bjok-
• Guitar’s Grandmother Sums up Macon’s
estrangement from the black community when she
says :

« A nigger in business is a horrible thing to see »

(SOS,22)

Macon is ashamed of his sister, Pilate, because she is

not as “white” and as successful as he is (SOS,20)
 • Milkman and Guitar are divided by Their different
Upbringing world views

“He was bored, Everybody bored him, The city was

boring, The racial problems that consumed Guitar were
the most boring of all” (SOS, 107)

 Milkman who is protected by his luxurious life, is

blind to see White racism
2) Racism and Beauty Standards

•Toni Morrison portrays the destructive forces of

hegemonic female beauty standards, that enforces on
them certain type of behavior, clothes and hairstyles .

•The racialized beauty norms reveals not only a racial

hierarchy in which dark skin and kinky hair are
disfavored, but also a sexist one which men assume
the power to define norms of beauty and femininity .
• Ruth is the incarnation of the light-skinned bourgeois
black woman . She is always well-dressed and behaves
respectably in public .

•Pilate is established as the contrast of Ruth (SOS,5-6)

and ignores those standards of respectability in terms of
her appearance and her lifestyle .
She invents her own look , she has short hair and wears
both women’s and men’s clothes.

•The emotions of African American women whose beauty

has been devalued from the era of slavery until today is
illustrated through Hagar .
•Hagar unsuccessful attempt to become the light
skinned, well dressed and straight haired woman ,that
she thinks Milkman desires ,will leads her to death .

•She was already struggling of not fitting in the

bourgeoisie class = “she is simply not good enough.”

 The rejection of Milkman makes her assume that it is

because of her dark skin and curly hair.
 destructive effect of white beauty standards
(SOS,319)
Conclusion
• Song Of Solomon demonstrates the
importance of African awareness and
acceptance of their history.

• Knowledge, acceptance, and commitment

are needed to help liberate oppressed
people.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION !
