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

argument on its own because if the flowers associated with love are not-living, then the beholder’s love is subsequently nonexistent. The flowers only appear in scenes where the only women are present, and men in the novel do not interact with flowers throughout the text.

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

recurring motif associated only with women is not only a symbol of romance, but also reveals the forced oppression and quiet lives that women in the novel live. Similar to her mother, Lena also faces repression in the household, and from the start she seemingly doubts her own capacity and self-worthiness for love. As a young girl, Lena supposed that the flowers she held in her hand would “die, of course.” These words, spoken when she was an adolescent, seem to set the precursor for an entire life without love. Corinthians experiences her own love affair with Porter, yet the subtle motif that is seen when the relationship begins is indicative of an ultimate loss. When Porter first calls her attention by slipping her a card, the note has a “blue and yellow bouquet of flowers.” Already, it is evident that Corinthian’s romance will not last because the flowers are fake. Porter does not hand Corinthians a real bouquet of blue and yellow flowers, instead they are printed on a standard department store card. Apart from the red velvet petals, each woman in the Dead family comes across their own type of flower, and every time the flower is not real. This commonality reveals that the inability to find romance may be due to an exterior oppressive force, such as the men in the household. Milkman holds Lena back from growing real flowers, and Macon holds Corinthians back from having a real romance with Porter.