Cane

by

Jean Toomer

Themes and Colors
Navigating Identity Theme Icon
Racism in the Jim Crow Era Theme Icon
Feminine Allure Theme Icon
Nature vs. Society Theme Icon
The Power and Limitations of Language Theme Icon
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Cane, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Feminine Allure Theme Icon

Many of the stories in Cane feature powerful and powerfully alluring female characters. Yet despite this emphasis, Cane’s female characters function more as muses—as ideas to think with or as inspiration for male character development—than as people in their own right. Karintha, Fern, Avey, Dorris, Muriel, and Bona tempt and allure admirers, boyfriends, would-be boyfriends, and vignette narrators into acts of passion and verbal skill. Louisa is a prize to be fought over by her White lover, Bob Stone and her Black suitor, Tom Burwell. Those who do act, like Cama, Esther, and Becky, are reviled or ostracized by their communities. Moreoer, none of the men who find themselves caught in a woman’s spell accomplish anything because of it. Muriel doesn’t inspire Dan Moore to get a job. The narrator of Fern’s vignette is ultimately very moved by his encounter with her, but he never figures out quite what meaning to make of it. And Paul’s hurtful and frustrating interaction with Bona clarifies his place in the world, but that doesn’t bring him happiness or peace.

Yet, while the book itself tends to use female characters in a similar way, as sites of meaning where it can develop its ideas, it ultimately critiques men—and society—for treating women in such a utilitarian manner. The fates of Cama, Becky, Esther, and Louisa are deeply tragic, for one. More pointedly, the book gives its ultimate revelation on the sad state of society to a woman. In the final piece, “Kabnis,” Carrie K. initially appears as a vacant muse, especially to visiting Northerner Lewis. Yet, in the end, it is she, not Kabnis, who understands and appreciates the revelation offered by Father John. In this way, the book suggests the importance of women’s participation in society and gives them a key role in ushering in a brighter future.

Related Themes from Other Texts
Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme…
Get the entire Cane LitChart as a printable PDF.
Cane PDF

Feminine Allure Quotes in Cane

Below you will find the important quotes in Cane related to the theme of Feminine Allure.
4. Becky Quotes

Becky had one Negro son. Who gave it to her? Damn buck nigger, said the white folks’ mouths. She wouldnt tell. Common, God-forsaken, insane white shameless wench, said the white folks’ mouths. Her eyes were sunken, her neck stringy, her breasts fallen, till then. Taking their words, they filled her, like a bubble rising—then she broke. Mouth setting in a twist that held her eyes, harsh, vacant, staring…Who gave it to her? She wouldnt tell. Poor Catholic poor-white crazy woman, said the black folks’ mouths. White folks and black folks built her a cabin, fed her and her growing baby, prayed secretly to God who’d put his cross upon her and cast her out.

Related Characters: Narrator of “Becky” (speaker), Becky
Page Number: 6
Explanation and Analysis:
10. Fern Quotes

Her eyes, if it were sunset, rested idly where the sun, molten and glorious, was pouring down between the fringe of pines. Or maybe they gazed at the gray cabin on the knoll from which an evening folk-song was coming. Perhaps they followed a cow that had been turned loose to roam and feed on cotton-stalks and corn leaves. Like as not they’d settle on some vague spot above the horizon, though hardly a trace of wistfulness would come to them. If it were dusk, then they’d wait for the search-light of the evening train which you could see miles up the track before it flared across the Dixie Pike, close to home. Wherever they looked, you’d follow them and then waver back. Like her face, the whole countryside seemed to flow into her eyes. Flowed into them with the soft listless cadence of Georgia’s South.

Related Characters: Narrator of “Fern” (speaker), Fern
Related Symbols: Train
Page Number: 21
Explanation and Analysis:
16. Blood-Burning Moon Quotes

He saw Louisa bent over that hearth. He went in as a master should and took her. Direct, honest, bold. None of this sneaking that he had to go through now. The contrast was repulsive to him. His family had lost ground. Hell no, his family still owned the niggers, practically. Damned if they did, or he wouldn’t have to duck around so. What would they think if they knew? […] Fellows about town were all right, but how about his friends up North? He could see them incredible, repulsed. They didn’t know. The thought first made him laugh. Then, with their eyes still upon him, he began to feel embarrassed. He felt the need of explaining things to them. Explain hell. They wouldn’t understand, and moreover, who ever heard of a Southerner getting on his knees to any Yankee, or anyone.

Related Characters: Bob Stone (speaker), Louisa , Tom Burwell
Page Number: 42
Explanation and Analysis:
22. Theater Quotes

Above the staleness, one dance throws herself into it. Dorris. John sees her. Her hair, crisp-curled, is bobbed. Bushy, black hair bobbing about her lemon-colored face. Her lips are curiously full, and very red. Her limbs in silk purple stockings are lovely. John feels them. Desires her. Holds off.

John: Stage-door johnny; chorus-girl. No, that would be all right. Dictie, educated, stuck-up; show-girl. Yep. Her suspicion would be stronger than her passion. It wouldn’t work. Keep her loveliness. Let her go.

Dorris sees John and knows that he is looking at her. Her own glowing is too rich a thing to let her feel the slimness of his diluted passion.

Related Characters: Karintha , Fern , Avey , John , Dorris
Page Number: 67
Explanation and Analysis:
25. Box Seat Quotes

Houses are shy girls whose eyes shine reticently upon the dusk body of the street. Upon the gleaming limbs and asphalt torso of a dreaming nigger. Shake your curled wool-blossoms, nigger. Open your liver lips to the lean, white spring. Stir the root of a withered people. Call to them from their houses, and teach them to dream.

Dark swaying forms of Negroes are street songs that woo virginal houses.

Dan Moore walks southward on Thirteenth Street. […] The eyes of houses faintly touch him as he passes by them. Soft girl-eyes, they set him singing. […] Floating away, they dally wistfully over the dusk body of the street. Come on, Dan Moore, come on. Dan sings. His voice is a little hoarse. It cracks. He strains to produce tones in keeping with the houses’ loveliness. Cant be done. He whistles. His notes are shrill. They hurt him.

Related Characters: Dan Moore , Muriel
Related Symbols: House
Page Number: 74
Explanation and Analysis:

Muriel has on an orange dress. Its color would clash with the crimson box-draperies, its color would contradict the sweet rose smile her face is bathed in, should she take her coat off. She’ll keep it on. Pale purple shadows rest on the planes of her cheeks. Deep purple comes from her thick-shocked hair. Orange of the dress goes well with these. Muriel presses her coat down around her shoulders. Teachers are not supposed to have bobbed hair. She’ll keep her hat on. She takes the first chair, and indicates that Bernice is to take the one directly behind her. […] To speak to Berny, she must turn. When she does, the audience is square upon her.

Related Characters: Dan Moore , Muriel, Bernice
Page Number: 81-82
Explanation and Analysis:

Dan: Old stuff. Muriel—bored. Must be. But she’ll smile and she’ll clap. Do what youre bid, you she-slave. Look at her. Sweet, tame woman in a brass box seat. Clap, smile, fawn, clap. Do what youre bid. Drag me in with you. Dirty me. Prop me in your brass box seat. I’m there, am I not? because of you. He-slave. Slave of a woman who is a slave. I’m a damned sight worse than you are. I sing your praises, Beauty! I exalt thee, O Muriel! A slave, thou are greater than all Freedom because I love thee.

Related Characters: Dan Moore (speaker), Muriel
Page Number: 84
Explanation and Analysis:
29. Kabnis Quotes

Their meeting is a swift sun-burst. Lewis impulsively moves towards her. His mind flashes images of her life in the southern town. He sees the nascent woman, her flesh already stiffening to cartilage, drying to bone. Her spirit-bloom, even now touched sullen, bitter. Her rich beauty fading…He wants to— He stretches forth his hands to hers. He takes them. They feel like warm cheeks against his palms. The sun-burst from her eyes floods up and haloes him. Christ-eyes, his eyes look to her. Fearlessly she loves into them. Sand then something happens. Her face blanches. Awkwardly she draws away. The sin-bogies of respectable southern colored folks clamor at her: “Look out! Be a good girl. A good girl. Look out!”

Related Characters: Karintha , Carma , Fern , Avey , Ralph Kabnis , Lewis , Fred Halsey , Carrie K. , Stella, Cora
Page Number: 138
Explanation and Analysis: