Song of Solomon The Home Quotes

How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

That propertied N***o who handled his business so well and who lived in the big house on Not Doctor Street had a sister who had a daughter but no husband, and that daughter had a daughter but no husband. (1.1.20)

We are exposed to the gossip mill, the way narratives are drawn around a family. The Dead’s house, though disconnected from the rest of Not Doctor Street due to the affluence it represents, is linked to Pilate’s house nonetheless. Oooh, Macon Dead must love that.

Quote #2

To lift the lion’s paw knocker, to entertain thoughts of marrying the doctor’s daughter was possible because each key represented a house which he owned at the time. Without those keys he would have floated away at the doctor’s first word: "Yes?" (1.1.22)

To the Dead family, a home is not a place where you live and dwell. A home to them is a symbol of what you own, a status indicator.

Quote #3

She opened the door and they followed her into a large sunny room that looked both barren and cluttered. A moss-green sack hung from the ceiling. Candles were stuck in bottles everywhere; newspaper articles and magazine pictures were nailed to the walls. But other than a rocking chair, two straight-backed chairs, a large table, a sink and a stove, there was no furniture. Pervading everything was the odor of pine and fermenting fruit. (1.2.39)

Pilate’s house is so cool. She doesn’t have much, but it’s a lot more welcoming than the Dead’s house, that’s for sure. We wonder what kind of newspaper articles and magazine pictures are on the walls, since we never get to see them. This place really does feel like a house out of a fairy tale. Pilate doesn’t clutter her home with anything she doesn’t need.