In the Song of Songs, Toni Morrison gives us a list of characters whose lives all revolve around the fundamental principle that completes us all, love. Morrison's most grounded character is Pilate Dead. While Pilate may not say much, she is one of the most important and beloved characters in history. She is loved not only by Milkman but also by readers. As Morrison says, “[Pilate is very big] because it's like something we wish existed. She represents a hope in all of us” (“An Interview with Toni Morrison” 419). Pilate Dead represents many things to many different people. She is a mother, a savior, a role model, a woman of great strength, and a woman full of mystery. Pilate is undoubtedly the most important character, besides Milkman, in Morrison's novel. Within the novel Pilate has a connection to everyone in some way. Despite the fact that Pilate isn't mentioned much in the story, it still revolves around not only Milkman, but Pilate as well. In fact, Morrison said in an interview: “Sometimes a writer imagines characters who are threatening, who are capable of taking control of the book. To prevent this from happening, the writer must exercise some sort of control. Pilate in the Song of Songs was that kind of character. He was a very important character and appears very important in the book. So I wasn't going to let her say too much” (“An Interview with Toni Morrison” 418). And Pilate actually "appears large" in the novel, no matter where you read, there is something that always leads back to her. Even before knowing who Pilate is. For example, Pilate was there when Mr. Smith, the insurance agent, decided to fly out of Not Mercy Hospital and was talking to Ruth about how her baby would be born the next day. At the beginning of this interaction between Ruth and Pilate a m...... middle of paper ......act. It is the love she shows that makes the reader love her too. In Morrison's novel we were constantly shown the theme of love with Pilate given to show us the strongest and healthiest example of it. Pilate who lurked in the recesses of the reader's mind, the most loved of all the characters. She is considered a mystery to those inside and outside the story, due to her perceptive ability and her lack of goals. Pilate was the strongest of the characters, and not even a passive woman. He is truly an unusual work, someone the reader would like to see more often in the world around him. Pilate is also one of his favorites and it's not hard to see why. Pilate is the embodiment of what love should be and that is why she is so important and so loved by readers. In Milman's words, “There must be another like you,” (336).