Lauren: Song of Solomon Responding and Reflecting

Song of Solomon is set beginning in 1931 and ending around 1963. It was written by Toni Morrison in the 1970's.  This book was written just after the start of the Civil Rights Movement Act became a law in 1964. The Civil Rights Movement started in 1955 during the events of the novel. 1931 was the pinnacle of the Harlem Renaissance , it also marked the rise of a new sophisticated class of intellectual African-Americans immersed in culture and aesthetic pursuits. In 1955 Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white person and was arrested sparking protests. This is reflected in the way the book handles race and focuses mostly on the issue of race and racism in America at the time. The time the book takes place in as well as the time it was written in were both changing times in the way people looked at race and civil rights and liberties mainly regarding people of color. The change in class in the late 1920's to the early 1930's is shown in the book in the classes of the different characters. Milkman and Guitar are two different classes and have different experiences because of it. Milkman is privileged while Guitar grew up in poverty after his fathers murder and hates white people because of it. Guitar is a murderer who kills innocent white people, contributing to negative stereotypes and racism. Race is still a major issue in today's world. Being white I don't experience a lot of racism myself, but people still make assumptions about me because of my race. I've gotten plenty of remarks that I can't complain about things because I am white and clearly well off and that means I am perfectly happy. I've been told I can't talk about certain issues because I am white, because I am white I am expected to do better in school, I am expected to meet the social norms of being "a typical white person".