Everyone's life has some difficulties, with which one may arrive at a variety of resolutions. The story Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison describes several characters with a wide range of difficulties, but each character comes to the same interesting conclusion - death. These characters do not meet death with anger or fright, but with acceptance and peace. Peace is more often portrayed in times of death than in times of life. The novel Song of Solomon shows how the burdens of three characters, Hagar, Pilate, and Milkman, were resolved by their deaths.
             Hagar, the first main character to die with her burdens, is a character whose life revolved around her emotions and the positive, happy side of life. Hagar's life was completely devoted to Milkman, her cousin and lover. Her happiness, Milkman, would ultimately be her depression. After Milkman no longer loved her, Hagar suddenly became a different person. She attempted to murder Milkman several times, but did not succeed; she loved him too much to kill him. Her loneliness encouraged Hagar to think of how to improve her image, spending money on her vanity. When she realized she could never have Milkman, she became sick and weak, crying for Milkman and how he would never "like my hair" (316). These last words ended her life and obsession; her death was the result of a never-ending love. Death was the only resolution to her burdens; her love for Milkman would have never ended, and she would have simply continued her cycle of stalking, attempting murder, depression, and weak hope had she not died.
             Pilate, Hagar's grandmother, was the second main character to die. Though considered one of the toughest and emotionally strong characters, Pilate was still secretly burdened with her family's disturbing memories. Memories of her father were frequented Pilate, and she had human bones hanging from a wall in her home. She stated they were there because of constant haunting advice f...