Character Analysis Of Guitar Bain In Song Of Solomon

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Amy Crescimanno Happy Endings, Sort Of… November 13, 2012 Guitar Bains Guitar Bains is one of the pivotal characters in Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. As he ages throughout the novel, his character traits evolve--sometimes in unexpected ways. He begins as a watchful and passionate boy who understands the world around him better than most. However, as he ages, he finds that he seems to be among the minority of people who care about the social plight of African Americans. Throughout the book, he grows more and more radical, until his passion escalates to the point that he starts killing innocent people in order to keep the status quo. Despite a promising start, Guitar’s moral journey leads him to a fate as a misguided but well-meaning and self-justified killer. …show more content…

Even as a child, he notices much more than the adults around him. The first few times Guitar appears, almost every reference to him focuses on his eyes, and the life within them. The use of the phrase “cat-eyed boy” (7) is important because it is the reader’s first impression of Guitar and conveys the sense that nothing gets past him. Later, his eyes are described as “gashes of gold” (22) and “glittering with lights” (42). Each instance reveals another aspect of Guitar’s attentiveness and passion for life. The eyes are the windows to the soul (as the saying goes), and Guitar’s soul is complicated and

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