Toni Morrison's award-winning novel Song of Solomon is full of very interesting, deep symbolism. Macon Dead III, nicknamed "Milkman," is a very symbolic character throughout the novel. His character is not only symbolic, for so is his name. Also, Milkman's paternal aunt, Pilate, has an extremely significant and symbolic role in the novel. To her father, she represents the child who killed her own mother and took away her father's wife. Seeing that Pontius Pilate sentenced Jesus to death, the name Pilate seems to coincide with her father, Macon Dead's, opinion. Ironically, though, Pilate is a good person and is...
This causes him to murder Pilate, to ignore his best friend, and to eventually try to kill his best friend.

Indeed, Toni Morrison uses many symbols in the characters' names and personalities to accurately portray the many conflicts and strains between characters throughout the novel. She also uses these symbols to help depict the complex characters of Pilate Dead, Milkman Dead, and Guitar. These symbols also reveal the many weaknesses of each character. The combination of these elements brought together by Toni Morrison's very unique writing style is what makes this novel such a distinguished work of American Literature.