Song Of Solomon Analysis

Milkman’s trying not to be too freaked out, lying on Guitar’s bed, waiting for his murderer to come and get him.
Rewind to five hours in the past. Milkman arrives at Guitar’s place, asking if he can stay there for the night.
Guitar makes him tea, giving him a "geography lesson" about the origins of the tea he’s drinking. He makes Milkman laugh.
The mood is light until they start talking about soft fried eggs. Guitar tells him he can never be an egg, let alone a soft-fried egg, because eggs are white and fragile. Milkman begs to differ. Guitar says someone will have to bust his shell.
Guitar starts to lecture Milkman once more as he cleans his pad. He throws away a pseudo ashtray with half-smoked cigarette butts. Milkman moves to stop him, and
Go read this chapter right now, or at least this paragraph where the nature of Hagar’s rage, madness, jealousy is thrown down. The language in this moment is soul-shaking.
So what does the rest of the world in Southside and Not Doctor Street think about Hagar’s craziness? They just shake their heads, and talk about what crazy, "graveyard loves" can make people do.
Then they think about Empire State, the barbershop janitor who never says a peep. This is their memory:
Empire State marries a white woman in France, brings her home, and is happy as a clam for six years. Then, one day, he comes home to find her in bed with another man, another black man, and discovers that she has/would cheat on him with many other black men. It gets a little ambiguous here – we don’t know whether Empire State discovers that she’s been cheating on him or is just beginning to cheat on him. But we understand that Empire State discovers that his wife doesn’t truly love him for who he is. Upon walking in on this scene, Empire State becomes mute, never saying another word. This ends the collective Not Doctor Street/Southside memory of Empire State’s
Again she is enveloped in memories of coming to Pilate for help those thirty-one years before. She hears humming outside and assumes it is Pilate or Reba.
In the backyard, Ruth finds Hagar and what follows is a showdown. Go read this chapter right now. Ruth sees in Hagar the person trying to kill the person (Milkman) who represents the last time she was made love to. Hagar sees in Ruth the person who gets to see the person (Milkman) she loves everyday.
Both are angry and jealous. Hagar tells Ruth that Milkman is her home. Ruth replies that she is his home.
Pilate overhears this brouhaha, and thinks it’s just that: a whole lot of brouhaha. She knows Milkman doesn’t care about either of them.
Hagar has a crazy moment and starts grabbing her hair. Pilate tells her to sit down on her bench and invites Ruth in to take a load off.
Pilate then begins to tell the story of her childhood and of seeing her father’s ghost everywhere. This is her story:
Shortly after their father’s death, Macon and Pilate are wandering around the countryside. They have a falling out, and they split. Pilate decides to head toward Virginia where she suspects she has family (because she thinks her mom was from Virginia, even though she never knew her