Song of Solomon

Solomon’s escape from slavery is also the abandonment of his family; the insurance man leaves a message saying his suicide is a gesture of love, but guilt and despair also inform his decision. Solid, rumbling, likely to erupt without prior notice, Macon kept each member of his family awkward with fear. She worked in a large house—a mansion—outside Danville, for a family of what was then called gentlemen farmers. Finally Milkman could take no more; he had to rest.