Natality, Vitality, and Mortality - SoS

In Toni Morrison's novel, Song of Solomon, different stages of life are contrasted. In the opening scene of Chapter 1, a black insurance agent named Mr. Smith is drawing attention from passersby as he contemplates jumping off the roof of Mercy Hospital. In his suicide note, he claims "I will... fly away on my own wings" (3). In black folktale literature, the ability to fly represents freedom and the fulfillment of wishes. In Mr. Smith's case, his leap to death represents his liberation from his own suffering. Among the bystanders of his suicide includes a pregnant woman, Ruth, and the "singing woman," Pilate. Pilate, suspected to have supernatural powers, mentions to Ruth "A little bird'll be here with the morning" (9). This moment introduces the motif of birth and connects the theme of flying as a means of liberation. Furthermore, the juxtaposition of birth and death builds a contrast which raises the question of what living truly is. From what I've gathered so far, in Song of Solomon, living can only be achieved when equality among races is attained. For instance, in Chapter 1, one of Macon's daughters says that she has "found a dead bird." The significance of the dead bird is that it symbolizes Mr. Smith's suicide and his unfulfilled wish for freedom while also commenting on the price that others have to pay in order to be truly equal.