In Morrison's Song of Solomon, Reba is not given the attention she deserves. In the grand scheme of the novel, Reba is portrayed as Pilate's daughter and Hagar's mother; nothing more. She does not interact with the narrator, Milkman, in any meaningful way. From Milkman's perspective, Reba is the least interesting of the three, so he does not bother with her. Nonetheless, even with the lack of information we are given about Reba, it is still possible to infer a lot about her character.
We are first introduced to Reba when Milkman and Guitar visit Pilate's house for the first time in the novel. While in the midst of mashing berries for wine-making, Milkman describes Reba as " [having] the simple eyes of an infant...her light pimply skin and deferential manner, looked as though her simplicity might also be vacuousness" (46). Straight from the beginning, Reba's character is introduced as being 'simple' and 'unintelligent'. She is portrayed as being reliant on her luck as a means to keep herself content. The valuables she gives away at a whim to any man that comes near her shows how naive and innocent she is. Her simplicity as a character is solidified when she becomes upset at Hagar's complaints and responds, "'You been hungry, baby? Why didn't you say so?' Reba looked hurt. 'We get you anything you want, baby. Anything. You been knowing that'" (48). Reba will do anything to please her daughter; it is her only goal in life. In the entirety of the novel, every action she takes is for the benefit of someone else. Reba's selflessness is at a level that is detrimental to her development, forcing her to remain in the simple and childish state Milkman describes her with.
Reba's intense desire to fulfill every one of her daughter's wishes reaches a climax near the end of the novel after Milkman deserts Hagar and leaves town in search for the gold. Hagar is left devastated at the fact that 'she isn't good enough' for Milkman and Reba does everything in her power to cheer her up. From intentionally trying to win things (and failing) to cooking special things for her, nothing works and Reba is left in panic. When Hagar sees herself in the mirror and has an anxiety attack over her appearance; instead of restraining her, she goes to the mall to buy Hagar whatever she wants: "'I need everything,' she [Hagar] said, and everything is what she got. She shopped for everything a woman could wear from the skin out, with the money from Reba's diamond...the two-thousand-dollar two-carat diamond went to the pawnshop, where Reba traded it in for thirty dollars..." (310). Reba's dedication to Hagar blinds her. Hagar was happy when she got everything she wanted, and now that she is not, Reba attempts to recreate this feeling for Hagar. She is unable to get Milkman back into Hagar's life, so she does her best to fill that void. When she is not able to do so, Reba spirals into a panic and any little spark Hagar has excites her to the point she even sells her most prized possession at a mere fraction (1.5% to be exact) of its value to achieve this goal.
Reba's simplistic character can not comprehend being helpless. For Reba, there is always something that can fix what is broken. This is what makes Reba an interesting character to follow, but unfortunately the last we glimpse of her is at Hagar's funeral. And it is truly a glimpse as even at her daughter's funeral, Pilate takes the spotlight; a real Reba thing to do.
What do you think Reba will do now that her beliefs about the world as she knows it are shattered? Will she find something else to occupy herself with? Or will she undergo a major transformation?
