Peacocks and Pine nuts

Nut of the week: Pine Nuts

Pine nuts come from the cones of pine trees which take years to mature. The seeds are then hand picked from the cones, which contributes to their high price. They are commonly used in pesto. 

As we have delved further into the story of "Song of Solomon", it has twisted and meandered like a river. We discovered that Guitar is part of a murder squad called "Seven Days" that retaliates against murders against blacks by killing whites themselves. There is still the mystery surrounding the random white man in the cave and the whereabouts of his gold. Lena furiously accused Milkman of being a "sad, pitiful, stupid, selfish, hateful man" just like his father. One event that really intrigued me was the appearance of a white peacock near the headquarters of Nelson Buick. 

Peacocks are some of the strangest creatures on the planet. Male peacocks boast an incredible display of plumage used to attract mates while females have much more subdued feathers. In the novel, Milkman and Guitar stumble upon a pure white peacock. It's white color and "tail full of jewelry" are symbols of white oppression, but it can also be seen as a representation of Milkman, whose wealth has only kept him grounded even though he dreams of flying. The white peacock interrupts Guitar and Milkman's thoughts about how to get the gold from Pilate and pivots their discussion into fantasizing what the gold could buy for them. It is not dissimilar to pine nuts, whose white color and expensive price prevent it from being more than an uncommon nut used to make baked goods and some tasty pesto.