The Importance Of Flowers In Toni Morrison's The Song Of Solomon

In Toni Morrison’s novel, The Song of Solomon, flowers are associated with romance and love, and so the way in which the central female characters interact with flora is indicative of the romance in their lives. Flowers, red roses in particular, are a universal symbol for love and fertility. Though Ruth Foster, Lena called Magdalene Dead, and First Corinthians Dead are associated with different types of flowers in distinctive ways, the purpose of the motif stays the same; flowers reveal one’s romantic status and are a precursor for the romance that is to come. Throughout the entire novel, the flowers share in common that they are not real. Some flowers appear printed, others as fake substitutes, and some are imaginary. This is an essential

As such, the lack of life in the flora that the women come across implies that their romantic lives are nonexistent and lifeless. Each woman in the Dead family is associated with their own wilted flower, which is significant because the flowers exist out of oppression and lack of affection. Before it is clear in the story that Macon and Ruth do not love each other, the flowers that Ruth interacts with beforehand serve as a precursor for the dead romance that is to come. Morrison notes the flower arrangement on Ruth’s dining table, which “once exposed, behaved as though it were itself a plant and flourished into a huge suede-gray flower that throbbed like fever.” The “suede-gray flower” is an artificial fabric flower associated with Ruth reveals that she is deprived of love. By following the life cycle of the “grey-suede flower,” the reader can understand the evolving position that Ruth has had in her home. When the flower was alive, her father was also with her, so she would communicate with her husband and dictate the matters of the household. When the flower was alive, Ruth and Macon were somewhat more in love. Macon was also kept quiet. As the flower weakens and dies, we see Ruth’s strength, independence, and love life dwindling and dying. Thus, it is clear that a