Biblical Allusions In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

223 Words1 Pages
In Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, the use of biblical allusions plays a crucial part in guiding the themes and plot of the story. By naming the characters of the book after figures of the bible, Morrison is able to correlate their experiences and roles within society during the time periods in which they lived in, as shown in Hagar, who is named after the Egyptian slave/handmaiden of Sarah and mother of Abraham’s, Sarah’s husband, son. In the bible, Abraham and Sarah had been told to wait for an heir, however, they were incredibly old. Sarah decides to convince her husband, Abraham, to sleep with her slave, Hagar. Hagar eventually became pregnant and gave birth to the son, naming him Ishmael. Hagar became the subject of Sarah’s relentless