Minorities within Minorities in the Song of Songs In a study of minorities, groups that differ from the dominant culture are viewed as homogeneous. But, if we look deeper between groups, we can see that there are distinctions among minorities regarding lifestyle and social status. In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon the author provides examples in the background of the story showing people with differential identities of the overall identity of the minority group. The character Macon Dead and his family are represented as different from the society they live in with their social status. They are rich and try to live like white people. It's important that Macon Dead has a good impression on other people. Since he faced many hardships as a child due to his race, he wants to be as rich as possible to earn respect. These ambitions lead him to divide himself with his sister Pilate, as we see in this part of the novel: "Why can't you dress like a woman?"... "...What are you trying to make me look like?" in this town?" He trembled at the thought of the white men in the bank - the men who had helped him buy and mortgage houses - finding out that this ragged bootlegger was his sister. That the black landowner who ran his business so well and who he lived in the big house on Not Doctor Street he had a sister who had a daughter but no husband, and that daughter had a daughter but no husband (20)We see from this passage how important other people's thoughts about him are to Macon Dead; especially the thoughts of the whites. He already believes he has a good impression on those people "In 1936 there were very few of them who lived as well as the Macon Dead" (32...... middle of paper...... the anest unhung niggers in the world (270). As we know from the end of the novel, Milkman will change all his feelings during his stay in the city: "He was curious about these people. He didn't feel close to them, but he felt connected , as if there was a string or a pulse or an information they shared. At home he had never felt like this, as if he belonged somewhere or to someone" (293). The Song of Songs provides an example of a minority with a minority. It is clear that social status is a factor in the alienation of people. Society Works Cited: Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Views: Toni Morrison New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 1990. Morrison, Toni New York: The Penguin Group, 1977. Peterson, Nancy J Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1997.