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She believed… that she was a prize for a professional man of color,” Toni Morrison writes in the ninth chapter of Song of Solomon, a quote that begins her subtle critique of the expectations of women in 20th century America. Morrison highlights society’s assumption that women have a natural willingness to forgo their professional careers to focus on family life, writing that “men wanted wives who could manage… wives who would sacrifice themselves and appreciate the hard work of their husbands.” Once First Corinthians, the woman who is the focus of the ninth chapter, prioritizes her professional career over a family life, she feels incredibly unhappy and out of place amongst her peers. “Once Corinthians woke up one day to find herself a forty-two-year-old maker of rose petals,” Morrison writes, “she suffered a severe depression.” The chapter’s message is perfectly summarized on page 191, when it is stated that a well-regarded female poet was “of course, able to do little else” other than write after following her career interests instead of starting a family.
In chapter nine of
 	In chapter nine of Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison speaks to the mistreatment of women in how the feelings of the female characters were so often disregarded, or tossed aside when they did not fit the ideal of a domestic figure which was in many cases, “...wives who could manage, who were not so well accustomed to middle-class life that they had no ambition, no hunger, no hustle in them. Similarly, women were expected to be simple, and focus only on homemaking activities like being “somebody who knows how to sit down, how to dress, how to eat the food on her plate.” (197). However, Morrison delves beyond the general treatment of women by focusing on on Milkman in particular. Lena confronts Milkman about how little he cared for Corinthians well being until it had an effect in his own life in saying, "And since when did you care whether Corinthians stood up or fell down? You've been laughing at us all your life" ( 215). This can easily be tied in how Milkman abused Pilate’s trust and love for him in that he was willing to steal from her “...and what's more, he had been prepared-at least he told himself he had been prepared-to knock her down if she had come into the room while she was stealing it" (209). 

In chapter 9, Corint
 In chapter 9, Corinthians is desperate for to find a lover and be a “prize for a professional man of color” (p.189) that is worthy of a college educated woman. However, when Corinthians finds a man who fancies her, he is ill-dressed and elderly-- certainly not the ideal suitor. It is her suitor’s physical appearance that causes Corinthians to be “ashamed of him” (p.194) and thus want to treat him as a “secret.” Regardless of the mixed feeling that Corinthians has for her lover, she gains confidence and “self-esteem that is quite new,”(p.201) and for this she is “grateful to him.”(p.201) However, Corinthians lover, Porter, breaks her heart when he says that he wants a grown woman, who will put him on a pedestal. Corinthians then makes the statement that “there is a difference between a woman and a lady,”(p.197) and that she is more than a woman who obeys a man’s orders, she is a lady with self-respect.

In chapter nine of “
 In chapter nine of “Song of Solomon”, the Dead family explores their individuality and each member shares their 

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In chapter nine, Corinthians felt like her life was passing by her because she “woke up one day to find herself a forty-two-year-old maker of rose petals.” She considered herself to be a disappointment for her family. Her family had high expectations because of their status in the neighborhood and the opportunity she had to go to college. Corinthians feels like her high status in life hurt her chances to get a man because she believed men “wanted wives who could manage, who were not so well accustomed to middle-class life” and she was the opposite of that. While feeling depressed about the way her life turned out, she meets Porter on the bus who is of a lower socioeconomic class than her. Corinthians is aware of the differences between them and she feels “ashamed of him” because she doesn’t think he will be good enough for her family. She becomes angry that one of the few good things in her life might be over, and she starts to hate him “for the shame she felt." Corinthians felt obligated by her family to stop seeing Porter despite what she wanted. When she comes to the realization that she might never see him again “her days rolled out before her like a dingy gray carpet in an unfurnished, unpeopled hall-for-rent." Corinthians represented the major theme in this chapter of the expectations of women because she didn’t feel like she was making her family proud leading her to need to give up what she wants.

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The quote from Pilate "You can't take a life and walk off and leave it. Life is life. Precious. And the dead you kill is yours. They stay with you anyway, in your mind. So it's a better thing, a more better thing to have the bones right there with you wherever you go. That way, it frees up your mind." (Morrison 208) reveals why Pilate took the dead man’s bones and put them in her bag. This quote relates to the narrator’s statement,  “Even if he drove off at one hundred miles an hour, she would hang on." (Morrison 199) because the desperation of Corinthians to stay on Porter’s car was similar to the desperation of Pilate to keep the bones. They both wanted to hold on to a  part of their past, even if it seemed like an inexplicable desire to have. The quote from Lena to Milkman “And since when did you care whether Corinthians stood up or fell down? You've been laughing at us all your life." (Morrison 215) very strongly relates to Corinthian’s realization  "She believed what her mother was also convinced of: that she was a prize for a professional man of color." (Morrison 187-188). Milkman has often taken his family for granted, and it has only gotten worse as he has aged. While he may not be aware of it, he is slowly becoming like his father, and taking his family for granted in one example of that. Corinthian’s realization that her mother believed she was a prize is very similar to how Milkman believes his family members are like prizes, and they were taken for granted: objectified into obscurity of Milkman’s spoiled and condescending beliefs.

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Information regarding the Dead family relationships is revealed when Lena passionately asks Macon “And since when did you care whether Corinthians stood up or fell down? You've been laughing at us all your life."(215) This excited exclamation addresses Macon’s mistreatment of his family. Because "Corinthians knew she was ashamed of him, that she would have to add him to the other secret, the nature of her work, that he could never set foot in her house,”(194) she felt fear when the truth about her secretive relationship emerged. Corinthians’ intense feelings for the older man are evinced by her statement that "even if he drove off at one hundred miles an hour, she would hang on."(199) Corinthians’ care for Porter grows into a “self-esteem that was quite new,” and she grew “grateful to him, this man who rented a tiny room with her father, who ate with a knife and did not even own a pair of dress shoes.” (201)

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“She believed… that she was a prize for a professional man of color,” Toni Morrison writes in the ninth chapter of Song of Solomon, a quote that begins her subtle critique of the expectations of women in 20th century America. Morrison highlights society’s assumption that women have a natural willingness to forgo their professional careers to focus on family life, writing that “men wanted wives who could manage… wives who would sacrifice themselves and appreciate the hard work of their husbands.” Once First Corinthians, the woman who is the focus of the ninth chapter, prioritizes her professional career over a family life, she feels incredibly unhappy and out of place amongst her peers. “Once Corinthians woke up one day to find herself a forty-two-year-old maker of rose petals,” Morrison writes, “she suffered a severe depression.” The chapter’s message is perfectly summarized on page 191, when it is stated that a well-regarded female poet was “of course, able to do little else” other than write after following her career interests instead of starting a family.

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In chapter nine of Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison speaks to the mistreatment of women in how the feelings of the female characters were so often disregarded, or tossed aside when they did not fit the ideal of a domestic figure which was in many cases, “...wives who could manage, who were not so well accustomed to middle-class life that they had no ambition, no hunger, no hustle in them. Similarly, women were expected to be simple, and focus only on homemaking activities like being “somebody who knows how to sit down, how to dress, how to eat the food on her plate.” (197). However, Morrison delves beyond the general treatment of women by focusing on on Milkman in particular. Lena confronts Milkman about how little he cared for Corinthians well being until it had an effect in his own life in saying, "And since when did you care whether Corinthians stood up or fell down? You've been laughing at us all your life" ( 215). This can easily be tied in how Milkman abused Pilate’s trust and love for him in that he was willing to steal from her “...and what's more, he had been prepared-at least he told himself he had been prepared-to knock her down if she had come into the room while she was stealing it" (209).

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In chapter 9, Corinthians is desperate for to find a lover and be a “prize for a professional man of color” (p.189) that is worthy of a college educated woman. However, when Corinthians finds a man who fancies her, he is ill-dressed and elderly-- certainly not the ideal suitor. It is her suitor’s physical appearance that causes Corinthians to be “ashamed of him” (p.194) and thus want to treat him as a “secret.” Regardless of the mixed feeling that Corinthians has for her lover, she gains confidence and “self-esteem that is quite new,”(p.201) and for this she is “grateful to him.”(p.201) However, Corinthians lover, Porter, breaks her heart when he says that he wants a grown woman, who will put him on a pedestal. Corinthians then makes the statement that “there is a difference between a woman and a lady,”(p.197) and that she is more than a woman who obeys a man’s orders, she is a lady with self-respect.

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In chapter nine of “Song of Solomon”, the Dead family explores their individuality and each member shares their insight and views of one another. Macon’s family warns him about his carelessness and they tell him “you can’t take a life and walk off and leave it. Life is life. Precious” (208). This highlights the way the Dead family views Macon, and the issues they have with his lack of commitment. Macon’s sister tells him him that “the flowers I'd stuck in the ground, the ones you peed on-well, they died, of course, but not the twig. It lived. It's that maple. So I wasn't mad about it anymore-the pee, I mean-because the tree was growing. But it's dying now, Macon” (213-214). Lena tells Macon that there will be consequences for his careless actions, and that he is hurting others. Lena also continues and asks “since when did you care whether Corinthians stood up or fell down? You’ve been laughing at us all your life” (215). Lena reveals how everyone truly feels about Macon, and how his family perceives him as being a destructive individual. Lena tells Macon “you don’t know a single thing about either one of us-we made roses; that's all you knew” (215). This chapter reveals how the Dead family, particularly the women, feel about Macon and how they view him as being selfish, ungrateful, and careless.

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One of the themes of Chapter 9 is the idea of self-realization for First Corinthians, which is often found through desperation. At the beginning, First Corinthians sees that living with Macon Dead has lead her to be a victim of “severe depression." Before her life in Macon’s household, First Corinthians went to France and was disappointed by the romantic scene. She realizes that the men there “wanted wives who could manage” and “who were not so well accustomed to middle class life.” This brings her to comprehend that her higher class lifestyle may be a negative thing and that she should not pursue her own aspirations. Living with Macon drives her “to get out of the house” and start a relationship with Porter. Even then, First Corinthians is haunted by the words of her mother saying “she was a prize for a professional man of color,” further showing that her life has far less meaning than she would like

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From the outset of her adolescence, First Corinthians Dead believes “what her mother was also convinced of: that she was a prize for a professional man of color." ( )That is, until she “woke up one day to find herself a forty-two-year-old maker of rose petals, she suffered a severe depression which lasted until she made up her mind to get out of the house” -- even if it’s going below her station to work as a maid. (189) However, she still hangs onto the idea that her college education and wealthy family raise her above others, and she holds this over Porter’s head until he snaps and tells her that “I don’t want a doll baby, I want a woman. A grown-up woman who’s not scared of her daddy.” (196) Moments after the words leave Porter’s mouth, it hits Corinthians that “he was never going to see her again, and the days rolled out before her like a dingy gray carpet in an unfurnished, unpeopled hall-for-rent." (195-6) In her panic about being left to her rose-petal making and maid work, she climbs onto the hood of his car and vows that "Even if he drove off at one hundred miles an hour, she would hang on." (199) In a way, Corinthians is confronting her own mortality and attempting to subvert it by taking a lover and not resigning herself to spending the second half of her life as she has the first.

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Chapter nine in “Song of Solomon” shows how desperate many of these characters have become for example Corinthians feeling desperate for the devotion of another “Even if he drove off at one hundred miles an hour, she would hang on”.  Many of the characters seem to address all that is missing in their lives, what they are desperate for, “She suffered a severe depression which lasted until she made up her mind to get out of the house”.  Lena, on the other hand, to fill her desperation seems to cling on to little things she does have, such as her obsession with flowers; “The flowers I’d stuck in the ground, the ones you peed on-well, they died”, the maple tree and flowers dying caused Lena’s desperation and depression to spiral out of control. There is an additional theme in this chapter of characters being open about their hurt due to Milkman’s lack of empathy “since when did you care whether Corinthians stood up or fell down?”.

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Apart from a brief discussion of what happened with Pilate and the gold, Chapter 9 focuses in on the women of this story, and explores how desperation has infused most of their lives, no matter their station. The woman who Corinthians works for had “sacrificed [marriage and children] to the Great Agony,” (pg. 191) and therefore was desperate to make her sacrifice worth it by succeeding as a poet, just as Corinthian’s failure to follow the path she expected to be on made her so desperate to not let Mr. Porter go out of fear that “even if he drove off at one hundred miles an hour, she would hang on.” (pg. 199) Lena and Corinthians seem to be at a breaking point; they have reached an age where their solitude becomes permanent, and therefore long to be recognized and cared for by their family, if not by a husband. Just as “‘that maple [that Milkman peed on]..was growing. But it’s dying now,” (pg. 213-214), Lena feels that her and Corinthians will soon die because Milkman’s “been laughing at us [Lena and Corinthians] all your life,” (pg. 215) and will not respect them as they deviate even further from their expected path.

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This chapter’s purpose is to create a sense of disorder, disrupting parts of the novel and various character’s relationships. One of the most obvious is Magdalene called Lena’s anger at Milkman, where she said “And since when did you care whether Corinthians stood up or fell down? You’ve been laughing at us your whole life.” Not only does this reveal Lena’s anger, but also the fact that their relationship will never be the same because of this defining moment. She also states that in their childhood, she “wanted to kill” Milkman. Macon Jr. also reveals his true feelings about a subject, referring to Guitar using an offensive slur, and saying that the only reason they were taken into the police station was because Guitar was there: “They would’ve let you, if it had just been you.” This both reveals Macon Jr.’s distaste of Guitar and comprises their relationship, as Guitar is Milkman’s closest friend. At this point, Milkman is ruining his relationships with his family members. Corinthian’s life is also spinning out of control, as her relationship with Porter is ruined, and she had always thought “that she was a prize for a professional man of color.”

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The first part of the chapter deals with First Corinthians and her burgeoning romance with Porter, who, although she clearly loves, she also feels ashamed of, and she even “hate[s] him a lot for the shame” she feels (194). Corinthians is clearly desperate for Porter’s love, as she has not had an intimate human relationship in decades; when she is lying on his car, she claims that “even if he drove off at one hundred miles an hour, she would hang on” (199), which indicates the strength of the passion she feels. Corinthians also overhears a conversation between Milkman and Macon about the former’s attempt to steal the “gold” from Pilate, and it is revealed that Pilate used her semi-mystical powers, “dropp[ing] her skin in a split second” (205)  and changing her voice and height, to get back her bag of bones and rocks. Milkman then finds out about the relationship between Corinthians and Porter, and because Porter is a member of the Seven Days, he tells his father about the relationship. Lena then confronts Milkman about it, telling him that he never cared “whether Corinthians stood up or fell down” (215) and that he has failed to do his duty as a son and brother.

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Corinthians woke up one day to find herself a forty-two-year-old maker of rose petals, she suffered a severe depression which lasted until she made up her mind to get out of the house. (page 189)

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"You wanted a lady. Somebody who knows how to sit down, how to dress, how to eat the food on her plate. Well, there is a difference between a woman and a lady, andI know you know which one I am." P 197

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"These men wanted wives who could manage, who were not so well accustomed to middle-class life that they had no ambition, no hunger, no hustle in them. They wanted wives who would sacrifice themselves and appreciate the hard work and sacrifice of their husbands."

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"Even if he drove off at one hundred miles and hour, she would hang on." pg.199

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"He had stolen it too, and what's more, he had been prepared-at least he told himself he had been prepared-to knock her down if she had come into the room while she was stealing it" (209).

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"In a place of vanity she now felt a self-esteem that was quite new. She was grateful to him, this man who rented a tiny room with her father, who ate with a knife and did not even own a pair of dress shoes" (201).

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"You can't take a life and walk off and leave it. Life is life. Precious. And the dead you kill is yours. They stay with you anyway, in your mind. So it's a better thing, a more better thing to have the bones right there with you wherever you go. That way, it frees up your mind." p  208

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Page 194. "Corinthians knew she was ashamed of him, that she would have to add him to the other secret, the nature of her work, that he could never set foot in her house. And she hated him a lot for the shame she felt."

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"He thought it was funny, sweet and a little sad" (211).

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"'They would have let you, if it had just been you. Soon as you told them your name they would have let you go. But you was with that Southside n-----. That's what did it.'" (pg. 203)

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"After you peed on me, I wanted to kill you. I even tried once or twice. In little ways: leaving soap in your tub, things like that. But you never slipped and broke your neck, or fell down the stairs or anything." She laughed a little. "But then I saw something. The flowers I'd stuck in the ground, the ones you peed on-well, they died, of course, but not the twig. It lived. It's that maple. So I wasn't mad about it anymore-the pee, I mean-because the tree was growing. But it's dying now, Macon." (pages 213-214)

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pgs 187-188: "She believed what her mother was also convinced of: that she was a prize for a professional man of color."

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pgs 105-6: "In a sudden flash she knew he was never going to see her again, and the days rolled out before her like a dingy gray carpet in an unfurnished, unpeopled hall-for-rent."

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"And since when did you care whether Corinthians stood up or fell down? You've been laughing at us all your life." (pg 215)

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"Being a poet she could, of course, do little else. Marriage, children-all had been sacrificed to the Great Agony and her home was a tribute to the fastidiousness of her dedication..." (pg 191).

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"'Almost. She even changed her voice.'
'I told you she was a snake. Drop her skin in a split second.'
'She didn't even look the same. She looked short. Short and pitiful.'
'That's cause she wanted it back. She wanted them to let her have the bones.'"
(205-206)