One of the most striking things about Song of Solomon (aside from the incest, murder, etc.) is the amount of unusual names. First, let us start with the title of the book itself. Song of Solomon comes from a short book of the Old Testament (and of the Tanakh). The original title is better translated as "Song of Songs" which is what I believe is a more common translation. Why Solomon appears in the title is because a fuller title in some editions reads, "Song of songs of Solomon which in Hebrew is said Sir Hasirim." Solomon is believed to have written it. It is a dialogue between lovers. In Judaism, it is seen as allegory for the relationship between God and Israel; Christians see it as allegory for Christ and the Church. The title is not the only strange name in the book.
Names are given in an unusual manner in the book. First from Macon Dead I and the drunk Union soldier, then to the Dead family tradition of choosing a random word from the Bible. The names given in this manner are as follows:
-Pilate (from Pontius Pilate): the Roman judge who handed Jesus over to be crucified
-Reba (from Rebecca): Wife of Isaac, (though there is a Reba who is a king)
-Hagar: Sarah's servant, and mother of Ishmael through Abraham
-First Corinthians: Saint Paul's first letter to the people of Corinth
-Magdalene Called Lena: (from Mary Magdalene): a follower of Jesus present at the crucifixion; some accounts say Jesus expelled seven demons from her; sometimes thought to be a repentant prostitute.
It is possible that these names will be important in each character's actions; there may be a bit of mirroring in the novel. For instance, Hagar and Ishmael are expelled by Abraham, and Milkman rejects Hagar. This might be the only instance of crossover, but it will be interesting to see as we continue the novel. Morrison could have chosen the names for this purpose, but it could also be a parody of giving children biblical names. (This might make more sense, because if the former is true, what will First Corinthians do? Will Pilate kill Milkman, even though she has been protecting him since before he was born?)
After this, the only unusual names left are ones like "Guitar" and "Empire State" and a few others along with the two Tommys, and some seem to be nicknames. In the book, characters also get their names in interesting ways: Milkman gets his because of what Freddie sees; Guitar wanted a guitar, and Macon Dead I got his because a drunk soldier wrote the wrong words in the wrong spaces.
All these names make the book more interesting. The giving of names is very important in this novel, as we saw in the epigraph and in class discussions. I guess by the end of the novel we will better understand the significance.
