Freedom In Toni Morrison's Song Of Solomon

In the novel Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison, Morrison addressed the subject of freedom when discussing the self-discovery of First Corinthians to suggest that freedom is not a commodity that comes from the act of gaining but rather comes with loss. Only once an individual is willing to sacrifice those physical or mental entities that are holding them back will they truly be given freedom.
Morrison addresses the theme of freedom through many characters as they are faced with loss and sacrifice which ultimately leads to them receiving a key element needed in their life due to it. Corinthians was given many opportunities in life, the biggest being her education. This along with their status within the community instilled the idea that “she

This seems as if her parents were supportive of Corinthians’ choice to get an education as it was her desire. Rather, it showed that her parents respected Corinthians’ choice because it would help her to attain the life, they wished for her which would help their family to keep their status. Therefore, Corinthians was not doing anything to separate her wishes from her parents and had yet to find true freedom from them. Ironically the one trait in Corinthians, her higher education, was expected to set her forward all else was what held her back. In the search for a husband, Corinthians was described as “a little too elegant” which ironically is what led to her career of being a maid (Morrison 188). Had men not been as intimidated by having a wife higher than them she would have never sought out a career and attained one only by keeping her elegance private from Michael-Mary Graham and keeping her lack of from her family. Corinthians sacrificed having a marriage, and potential status, and overall, by going against her parent's wishes, she began gaining freedom for the first time in her life. Morrison also

Before Corinthians gained her true freedom, she had to accept the losses she would be enduring, that being the disapproval of her family. She ran after Porter, choosing the freedom that waited for her inside the car that she could not get into. Trying to get in “she rapped again, louder, mindless of who might see her under the gray beech tree just around the corner from home” (Morrison 197). In his moment the Corinthians was discovering her only two options, “for if Porter did not turn his head and lean towards the door to open it for her, Corinthians believed she would surely die” (Morrison 198). Her two options were being stuck under the beech tree symbolizing death in the yard of her home and being forced to return to her life or she would be let into the car and would gain freedom with Porter. In this moment of waiting Corinthians is brought back to the collecting of red velvet “but she would bang forever to escape the velvet” (Morrison 198). The velvet is the old lifestyle of making the flowers with Lena, now her options are to either be left by Porter due to her feeling too ashamed of him or to return to her old life, but she would rather die than return to her old life, therefore, her options are freedom or death. Ultimately, she is taken to Porter’s apartment thus solidifying the