| Term | Definition |
|---|
| the insurance company in the novel and who is its clientel | North Carolina Mutual Company, black people |
| Robert Smith | king, meek, never seen with woman, insurance guy, didn't go out, commited suicide when he tried to fly off of mercy |
| the neighborhood the story is mostly set in | southside |
| Macon Dead II | well-off businessman through real-estate |
| Freddie | Janitor at Gerhardt's Department Store, works for Macon Dead II, run errands, does odd jobs, gossip |
| Milkman | 4 when caught breastfeeding |
| Why does Ruth breastfeed Milkman for so long? | she's deprived of love and it makes her feel good |
| commodity fetishism | Macon Dead's obsession with ruth's white underwear |
| Guitar Baines | grandmother beseeched Macon Dead for a rent break, member of Days, Milkman's best friend |
| What does Macon Dead II think is the most important thing in the world? | own things and have those things own other things |
| Circe's breed of dogs | Weimeraners |
| example of Magical Realism | Pilate changing form in police station |
| Amanuensis | dictation, like a secretary |
| What is strange about Circe? | she has the voice of a 20 year old girl |
| What is solomon's convenience store stocked with? | fresh, organic food. Few cans. |
| How does Milkman turn the men in Solomon's shop against him? | Addressing Solomon instead of the men, saying he'll buy a car if his can't be fixed, eyeing their women. |
| What does proud mean in this dialect? | glad |
| In the note he leaves behind, Robert Smith says, | I loved you all |
| Porter shouts from an attic window that he wants a | woman |
| Mains Avenue came to be called | Not Doctor Street |
| Milkman was given his name by | Freddi |
| Pilate's father took her name from | the Bible |
| Milkman is introduced to his aunt by | Guitar |
| Milkman falls in love with _____ the first time he sees her | Hagar |
| Macon Dead I was given his name by a | white man |
| Pilate is probably the only person in the world without a | navel |
| Pilate runs a | wine making operation/business |
| Guitar got his name because | he used to want to play the guitar after seeing one offered as a prize for a jelly bean guessing contest |
| Song of SOlomon invites the reader to draw a loose but highly significant connection between Pilate and | Athena |
| On his second visit to Sweet, Milkman slept the night in her | perfect arms |
| Milkman is driven out to the old Butler place by | Nephew |
| Milkman is amazed by Pilate's performance at the police station because she | came in knowing exactly what her story was and she appeared to be a different woman - meeker and physically shorter |
| At the age of forty-two, this daughter of Macon Dead II begins a romantic affair with _____ | First Corinthians, Porter |
| How is Milkman conceived? | Pilate steps in with a potion for the conception and then helps protect the pregnant Ruth |
| What kind of life does Milkman have? | an affluent one |
| What does Guitar call Milkman's dad? | the whitest man I know |
| Why does Guitar call Milkman's dad what he does? | The dad has bought into the "white" economic values and ideology. |
| What are some ties between Athena and Pilate? | Both born without a mother, magical realism, |
| What are some ties between Pilate and a pilot? | serves as a moral guide throughout the novel |
| Milman's relationship with Hagar | he loses interest as she makes herself more sexually available to him; does it because of her dark skin and she knows it when he starts going out with light skinned girls |
| Why does Milkman leave his home? | He wants desperately to get away from his routine and he wants to find the gold that he thought Pilate had |
| Reverand Cooper | an elderly black clergyman who gives Milkman info on the old Butler Farm |
| What does Milkman first see in the old Butler house? | the eyes of an intelligent child |
| What are the connections between Circe and Circe? | almost immortal, provides Odysseus with essential info for his journey, dogs like animals. |
| How does Milkman stumble upon Shalimar, VA? | His car breaks down when he gets there |
| How do the hunters show that they have accepted Milkman? | by offering him the bobcat's heart |
| What's the significance of Sweet giving Milkman a bath? | It's an ancient Greek reward for warriors |
| What is significant about Milkman's stay with Sweet? | He helps her - washing dishes, scrubbing tubs, offers her money |
| Significance of Sweet's arms being "perfect" | white-armed gods and goddesses, reversal of color, he's finally accepted his own dark skin |
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