Song of Solomon Chapters 9-15 Flashcards

Questions and Answers

Why did the Seven Days need a new member?

Smith jumped off the hospital roof.

What happens when Milkman returns to Shalimar with Pilate?

He and Pilate get along with everyone.

What was Solomon's Leap?

An outcropping of two rocks where Solomon began his flight to Africa, to bury Jake.

What is buried on Jake's remains? What happens after this?

Pilate's earring. Pilate is shot and asks Milkman to watch Reba. Signup and view all the answers

Who shot Pilate?

Guitar, trying to shoot Milkman. Signup and view all the answers

What did Milkman learn that Shalimar knew?

If you surrendered to the air, you could ride it. Signup and view all the answers

Who does Corinthians work for as a maid?

Miss Graham. Signup and view all the answers

Why does Corinthians call herself an amanuensis?

She spent three years at college and one in France but she's a maid. Signup and view all the answers

Why do many men avoid Corinthians?

She's more educated than they are. Signup and view all the answers

Where did Corinthians attend college?

Bryn Mawr, which made her feel like she's too good to do work. Signup and view all the answers

What is Miss Graham's political standing?

Liberal. Signup and view all the answers

What did Corinthians not tell Miss Graham?

That she was a college graduate. Signup and view all the answers

What is Miss Graham's occupation?

She's a poet who's won the State Poet Laureateship. Signup and view all the answers

Why does Miss Graham's assistant, Michael-Mary, hire Corinthians?

Because of her name. Signup and view all the answers

What does Michael-Mary teach Corinthians to do?

Type. Signup and view all the answers

How does Corinthians get to work every day, and who does she meet?

By the bus. She meets Henry Porter who gives her a poem about friendship. Signup and view all the answers

What is Henry Porter's occupation?

A yard worker. Signup and view all the answers

What do Corinthians and Henry Porter do for dates?

Go to drive-in movies. Signup and view all the answers

Why is Corinthians ashamed to go out with Henry?

He is poorer than her, and she's afraid her father won't approve. Signup and view all the answers

What was Corinthians carrying when she saw Smith jump off the roof of the hospital?

Rose petals. Signup and view all the answers

What does Corinthians do to not allow Henry to drive away?

Climb in front of his car. Signup and view all the answers

When had we previously met Henry?

He was the man who urinated and waved a shotgun around asking for sex. Signup and view all the answers

What does Henry do to Corinthians?

Rape her. Signup and view all the answers

What does Porter keep, and why?

Old calendars. He says they pass time. Signup and view all the answers

Why do Macon and Milkman argue after Corinthians returns home after being raped?

Milkman including Guitar in their scheme to steal Pilate's gold. Signup and view all the answers

Why were Milkman and Guitar thrown in jail for two hours?

The sack they steamed from Pilate contained human bones. Signup and view all the answers

Who was Pilate's late husband?

Mr. Solomon who was lynched. Signup and view all the answers

Who did the bones belong to in Pilate's sack?

She told the police that they were her husband's, Mr. Solomon. Signup and view all the answers

Who belongs to the Seven Days?

Guitar, Railroad Tommy, Hospital Tommy, Empire State, and Nero. Signup and view all the answers

What does Lena show Milkman?

A tree that grew as a result of her planting twigs when Milkman needed to pee. Signup and view all the answers

Who tells Macon that Corinthians was seeing Henry?

Milkman. Signup and view all the answers

What does Lena think Milkman has become?

Like Macon Dead; cruel and selfish. Signup and view all the answers

Who is Milkman compared to when he's thinking of gold while walking in the forest?

Hansel and Gretel. Signup and view all the answers

Who drove Milkman to the forest in Danville, Pennsylvania?

Reverend Cooper's teenage nephew, Nephew. Signup and view all the answers

Why did Milkman want to go to Danville, Pennsylvania?

It was where Macon and Pilate used to live with their father before he was murdered. He wants to find the gold. Signup and view all the answers

How did Milkman get to Danville, Pennsylvania, and why didn't Guitar come?

He flies into Pittsburgh and then takes a bus to Danville. Guitar wanted to come but thought it would be too suspicious for two men to search the woods. Signup and view all the answers

Why does Guitar say everyone wants the life of a black man?

Whites want blacks to be quiet and docile while blacks like Macon Dead want to control blacks. Signup and view all the answers

Where does Milkman want to go to find the gold?

A cave Macon told him about. Signup and view all the answers

How does Milkman meet Reverend Cooper?

Milkman asks a man if he knows Circe. Signup and view all the answers

Who made Pilate's earring?

Reverend Cooper's dad. Signup and view all the answers

What does Cooper tell Milkman about the Dead's family history over dinner and whiskey?

The Butler's, a wealthy white family who Circe delivered babies for them, were who murdered Macon's father. Signup and view all the answers

Why did Macon's dad never give a trial for his murder?

The Butler's were influential in the community and nobody with power cared about a black man's death. Signup and view all the answers

What did Milkman's nightmares about witches end in?

Him waking up with an erection. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman find upstairs in the Butler's house?

A pack of well-groomed dogs and an old, crazy-looking woman, Circe. Signup and view all the answers

What does Circe tell Milkman about Macon's Mom?

Her name was Sing and she was of Native American and black descent and bragged that she was never a slave. Signup and view all the answers

What town in Virginia did Pilate live?

It was originally thought Charlemagne but is later discovered to be Shalimar. Signup and view all the answers

Did Pilate marry Reba's father?

False Signup and view all the answers

What does Circe say about Pilate?

She birthed herself without Circe. Signup and view all the answers

Who does Milkman think Circe would be in another life?

The head nurse at Mercy Hospital. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman offer Circe?

Money. Signup and view all the answers

Why does Circe care for the Butler's dogs?

She wanted to help the dogs and preserve the house. Signup and view all the answers

What is Macon's father's real name?

Jake. Signup and view all the answers

What's the name of the cave Milkman goes to?

Hunters Cave. Signup and view all the answers

Who does Milkman hitchhike from Hunter's Cave to Danville with?

Fred Garnett, who gives Milkman a coke. Signup and view all the answers

How does Milkman determine that Pilate lied about the bones?

Pilate originally said that she went back four years after to get the bones. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman notice in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia?

Women barely have possessions. Signup and view all the answers

Where does Milkman's car break down?

Shalimar. Signup and view all the answers

What happened when Milkman got in a fight when he was younger?

Guitar came and beat up the four boys who were attacking Milkman. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman mistakenly do while he's in Solomon's general store?

He compliments women on their beauty. Signup and view all the answers

Who in Solomon's general store starts a fight with Milkman?

Saul who pulls a knife at him. Signup and view all the answers

Who asks Milkman to go fishing with him?

Omar. Signup and view all the answers

What does Calvin chase while he's hunting with Milkman?

A bobcat. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman realize while he's hunting?

All the things that could help him back home are useless in Shalimar. Signup and view all the answers

Who tries to murder Milkman in the woods?

Guitar. Signup and view all the answers

Who is Vernell?

He cuts the bobcat open, slicing off its genitals and offering Milkman its heart. Signup and view all the answers

What happened when Milkman sees the dead bobcat?

A peacock flies into the car. Signup and view all the answers

What does Vernell tell Milkman about Sing?

He remembers her as a light-skinned girl. Signup and view all the answers

Who does Milkman stay with after he goes hunting?

Sweet. Signup and view all the answers

What happens when Milkman goes to Susan Byrd's house?

He introduces himself as Macon. Signup and view all the answers

Why did Guitar try to kill Milkman?

Guitar thinks Milkman tried to steal the gold for himself. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman dream about as he spends the night with Sweet?

Flying and feels invincible. Signup and view all the answers

Who repairs Milkman's car?

Omar and Solomon. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman say about southerners?

They wake up early before the sun is hot. Signup and view all the answers

What do the children sing in Shalimar?

"Oh Sugarman" but replace Sugarman with Solomon. Signup and view all the answers

Why has Hagar gone crazy?

Her love for Milkman. Signup and view all the answers

Why does Guitar tell Hagar it's difficult for him to love?

He's been trained to expect it to disappear. Signup and view all the answers

Why does Hagar think Milkman lost interest in her?

She's ugly. Signup and view all the answers

Why does Hagar get a fever?

From crying so much. Signup and view all the answers

Why do people donate to Hagar's funeral?

She had just spent most of Reba's and Pilate's money on her shopping trip. Signup and view all the answers

What does Pilate shout at Hagar's funeral?

Mercy. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman think the second time he visits Susan Byrd's house?

That the house looks different. Signup and view all the answers

What doesn't Susan tell Milkman the second time he visits her?

Jake married Susan and they may have traveled to Boston for school. Signup and view all the answers

What does Susan tell Milkman about Solomon?

He was rumored to successfully fly back to Africa. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman conclude from what Susan told him?

Jake and Sing must have traveled to Boston but taken a wrong turn. Signup and view all the answers

What does Susan tell Milkman about Jake being a slave?

She said that none of her family were slaves. Signup and view all the answers

What does Susan say after Milkman asks about his watch?

That he'll never get it back. Signup and view all the answers

Where does Milkman's car break down for the second time?

Jistann. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman tell Sweet after he returned?

He wants to swim in the sea. Signup and view all the answers

As Milkman rides the bus back to Michigan, what signs does he see?

Names with their own meanings. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman hope for when going back to Michigan?

He hopes he and Guitar will be friends again. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman think when he arrives home to Michigan?

That people would prefer him dead, with the exception of Reba and Pilate. Signup and view all the answers

What did Pilate's father mean when he said 'you just can't fly off and leave a body'?

Jake wasn't talking about the body in the cave, he was talking about his own father, Solomon. Signup and view all the answers

Who was the body Pilate found in the cave?

Her father, not the man Macon killed. Signup and view all the answers

What does Milkman tell Pilate to do?

That she must bury her father. Signup and view all the answers

How do Pilate and Milkman go to Virginia?

They drive since Pilate refuses to fly in a plane. Signup and view all the answers

What happens when Milkman returns home?

Lena doesn't forgive him for his cruelty. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Corinthians and Miss Graham

Corinthians works as a maid for Miss Graham, a liberal poet who has won the State Poet Laureateship.
Despite her education including three years at Bryn Mawr and a year in France, Corinthians refers to herself as an amanuensis and conceals her college graduate status from Miss Graham.

Henry Porter

Many men avoid Corinthians due to her education, feeling inferior.
Henry Porter, a yard worker, befriends her on the bus, offering her a poem about friendship, but she feels ashamed to date him due to their differing social standings.

Traumatic Events

Corinthians witnesses Smith jump from the hospital roof while carrying rose petals, a troubling event that foreshadows her own trauma.
Henry ultimately rapes Corinthians, resulting in significant conflict as Milkman and Macon argue about the aftermath.

Milkman's Journey

Milkman seeks the gold that supposedly belonged to Pilate, connected to his family's past, including the murder of his grandfather by the Butler family.
He visits Danville, Pennsylvania, where he learns about his family's history and their connection to a cave where his grandfather’s body is hidden with gold.

Family History and Lore

Reverend Cooper shares details about Milkman’s family history, noting the influence of the Butler family in the historical murder of Macon’s father.
It’s revealed that Milkman’s grandfather, Solomon, was rumored to have flown back to Africa, leaving behind his family, a significant story in Milkman's quest for identity.

Relationships and Tensions

Tensions run high between Milkman and Guitar, particularly following the conflicts surrounding the search for the gold, culminating in Guitar’s attempt to kill Milkman in the woods after mistrust arises.
Hagar, deeply affected by her unrequited love for Milkman, becomes obsessed and ultimately dies from despair, highlighting the emotional fallout of Milkman’s actions.

Return to Shalimar

Milkman's return to Shalimar and interactions with the community reflect his transformation and the impact of his journey, both personally and culturally.
He learns painful truths about his family's past, solidifying his understanding of their legacy and the importance of connections within the African American community.

Climax and Resolution

Pilate is shot by Guitar during a confrontation, leading to an emotional climax where she asks Milkman to care for Reba, marking a powerful moment of redemption and loss.
The narrative concludes with Milkman discovering that surrendering to the air can lead to liberation, symbolizing the importance of heritage and acceptance of one's identity.

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Description

Test your knowledge of key concepts and characters from Chapters 9-15 of Toni Morrison's 'Song of Solomon'. This quiz includes questions about Corinthians, her education, and her relationship with other characters. Perfect for revision or a deeper understanding of the themes in the book.