The Watermark

In the first few chapters of Song of Solomon, Ruth seems like the incredibly damaged victim. Her husband hates her, the only person she ever loved is dead, and her only source of pleasure is embarrassingly snatched from her when Freddie the gossip spreads word around town that she is nursing her four-year-old son. Furthermore, there are two whole pages devoted to the description of a large, grey watermark on her dining table which she looks for like a "prisoner automatically searching out the sun as he steps into the yard for his hour of exercise," (Morrison 11). This mark is a toxic symbol of her father's death, as well as the mess that is her family. And yet, she is drawn to it. 

Her life has become so unbearable that she nourishes the idea of death: "once exposed, [the watermark] behaved as though it were itself a plant and flourished into a huge suede-gray flower that throbbed like fever, and sighed like the shift of sand dunes," (13). This image is far from pleasant, though it describes her affliction well. "Suede-gray" brings to mind a pair of expensive shoes, which is something Ruth can easily afford. She does not need to worry about money or status, so her concerns are largely self-centered; her complete isolation makes her very lonely, and gives her plenty of time to think. The color grey also symbolizes death and the dullness it has brought to Ruth's life. "Throbbed like fever" paints a picture of some great sickness; perhaps the one that killed her father, or the one that continues to eat at her after his death. It seems like some grotesque version of a heart, steadily pumping poison through her veins. The enormity of her helplessness is clarified through the watermark's comparison to the shift of sand dunes. Overall, the image consumes Ruth, but it also serves as a painful reminder that she is still alive.

grey flower