What Is Your Special Name?

As I ventured into the Song of Solomon during a rainy Bogotá afternoon, I was on the look out for first impressions. I have recently noticed that my reading has become somewhat, blog oriented. If I have to write about my first impression I begin to think of what my first impression is while I am experiencing it. This has proven to be counterproductive. It would be ideal if I could simply read and then reflect upon what caught my attention. In my attempt to do this I fall back unto the characters. In my Pre-AP Spanish class we are reading Ensayo Sobre La Ceguera. Although this book is very different from the Song Of Solomon it shares a very important trait. Both texts give the characters names and call signs a special importance, an air of description.

Since the beginning, the reader begins to notice that Morrison does not want to use traditional names. It appears as if they were to dull and can’t represent the true meaning of a name. The first character to be introduced, “North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance agent”, is the first hint at what is to come. As the story develops so do the characters. The informal register helps the reader immerse himself in the comedy-based descriptions: “Yeah. He talk. Say something. Guitar shoved an elbow at Milkman without taking his eyes off Pilate” (37). Notice how the author included three different names that serve as descriptions of each person’s profession. There is no simple way to call a character and the way Morrison choose to present her story is definitely creative.