Song of Solomon

Animals and nature itself have been used throughout the course of literature to symbolize more important ideas. Through such references a great amount of information can be relayed about characters, past events, current predicaments, and can help to highlight themes in a novel. Toni Morrison used such techniques in an extraordinarily effective way. The symbolic use of animals in her book Song of Solomon drew attention to history, character development, and most importantly themes. This added richness to her novel that could not have otherwise been achieved.
One of the first references to animals that we see in the book is to flight. Throughout the novel Morrison continues this theme of flying and it is a backbone to the novel itself. More importantly, flight for Morrison symbolizes freedom. The black race, at the time period in which the novel was written, was under great prejudice from the white race. Their freedom was limited at best, and though they were free of slavery, they...