Song of Solomon
“They were so different, these two women. One black, the other lemony. Once corseted, the other buck naked under her dress. One well read but ill traveled. The other had read only a geography book, but had been from one of the country to another. One wholly dependent on money for life, the other indifferent to it. But those were the meaningless things. Their similarities were profound. Both were vitally interested in Macon Dead’s son, and both had close and supportive post-humous communication with their fathers.” (139)
This passage is describing Pilate Dead and Ruth Dead, sisters-in-law. Ruth is married to Pilate’s big brother Macon. This passage does more than just compare the differences between the two different women. We have the descriptions of them, Ruth is a high-yellow woman who believes she married beneath herself, and she has never left the small-town she was born in. Pilate though she lacks the basic elementary education she has traveled and seen more and known more than Ruth could ever learn from her books. They both have different takes on how to get by in life; Pilate spent time re-inventing herself so she could live how she wanted to without ties to money. Ruth has been dependent on it her whole life, first from her father then her husband. Ruth has never been allowed to make any money that amounted to anything. She has never been able to be independent. This has harmed her self-image and made her slightly twisted as a human being. She puts too much value in the happiness brought to her by her son.
Where Ruth is dependent in every area Pilate is free, she has taken great cares to make herself different. So she can pursue life the way she wants to, not by the standards put on her. She cuts her hair short, wears whatever she pleases and makes her own living. Ruth describes her as having an equilibrium, which essentially means she is well-balanced. Pilate isn’t blown around by whatever comes around, she is happy to live how she wants to and doesn’t take orders from anyone. Ruth envies Pilates self-assurance. But Ruth is a woman who is overall weak, beside the intense almost wrong love she has for her son.
Both women want something from Milkman. Pilate would like him to marry her granddaughter. Ruth wants some sort of fulfillment from the last time she had intercourse with her husband. Somehow Milkman is supposed to show the love the family is supposed to have, which is a lot of pressure on someone who doesn’t know it. Pilate will be okay if he doesn’t marry Hagar, but she feels the boy has an important job that we will learn about later in the book. Milkman has a lot of different pressure on him. This has hindered him finding himself. But that will be explored later.
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