Over the text Walking cane by Blue jean Toomer, the author creates a paradoxical depiction of ladies because, although he sometimes criticizes the metonymization of girls, he likewise participates in it. For instance , the initially half of the book relies practically entirely for the mythologization of numerous female figures in The southern area of society. Yet , the second half the book gives voice to the female character types, thus enabling a critique of the male behavior. In the same way, the text expresses a deep nostalgia pertaining to the beginnings of the African American culture, although simultaneously acknowledging a previous filled with slavery and oppression. The connection of these two concepts through the text aid to articulate the complex concern of racial identity in post-slavery America. An example is a comparison of girls to organic cotton flowers. Every single vignette inside the text provides for a force making up the intellectual dissonance that is included with Toomer’s “mourning” of his problematic racial origins, whilst also checking out his controversial views of ladies and sexuality. One example where race and gender interact is in the history “Theater. “
Since the story is informed through the point of view of John, the male look is very widespread in the information of the ladies, especially in the parentheticals. Throughout the account, John’s thoughts interject the descriptions of the scene, and they are generally mostly of your patronizing character. He sexualizes the ballet dancers with remarks like “Lift your dresses, Baby, and talk to sopas! ” (Toomer 50) and “Dance and I’ll love you! inches (Toomer 52). His thoughts while viewing the wedding rehearsal are termes conseillés voyeuristic, as he fetishizes the women in his points: “Soon the director will certainly herd you, my full-lipped, distant beauties, and acquire you, and blunt the sharp thrusts in loosely suggestive movements¦ Soon I¦ I’d like¦” (Toomer 50). John’s obsession with browsing the women the “distant beauties” (Toomer 50) from very far is explicative of the text’s ‘mourning’ of racial origins because of his contradictory emotions towards them. Although this individual desires the women, he will not actually allow himself arrive close to them for numerous reasons. This is seen in his streams of consciousness where he argues with himself, stating, “Touch her¦ Hell number Cant be done¦ it is possible. Get her to herself somewhere, anywhere¦ Hold em bud, Cant be done. Let her go¦ And maintain her loveliness” (Toomer 52). His obsessive fantasizing in the women, not only is it inappropriate and borderline intimidating, also is exhibiting a conflict between his desire wonderful inability to succumb to that desire. In the end, John’s inner conflict represents Toomer’s conflicts about personality on a smaller scale.
Race and status likewise plays a role in setting up a gap among John and the dancers. Although they are all within a in the past African American space the Howard Theatre, high are “black-skinned” dancers and “road-shows volley songs in the mass-heart of black people” (Toomer 50) there is a clear distinction that may be made between John plus the others. John is referred to as a “Dictie” (Toomer 51), which is a slang term for an upper-class Black person who tends to participate in even more traditionally white colored activities. Dorris also contemplates his interpersonal status with regards to her individual, when she begins thinking, “Aint We as good as him? Couldnt I have got an informed if I’d personally wanted a single? Dont I know respectable folks¦ Aint I had formed men as effective as him? inch (Toomer 51). Both evaluate each other depending on their perceptions of each other peoples class, as John condescendingly thinks, “Christ, but how she’d weary you following the first five minutes” (Toomer 52). One more problematic comment by Ruben is made when he is explaining the future performance and he believes, “Soon the group will color your dusk faces light, and call you beautiful” (Toomer 50). This thought shows the reader with another comparison in the story, as the complete story is usually written for the rhythm of jazz music. As a result, the storyplot is embarrassing of black culture although also getting involved in it. By portraying the characters within a judgemental lumination, while also placing them in an upbeat proudly black environment, Toomer plays with the idea of ‘mourning’ his racial origins once more.
Gati’s idea of the “racial specter” becomes specific in “Theater” as Toomer is constantly contradicting himself through his writing. His passion with talking about the dark woman plus the female type clashes together with his desire to participate in whiteness in this story, because the main character seems to show up outside of the black-white binary, he is an upper-class “Dictie, ” yet he is as well the sibling of the director of a dark-colored cabaret. John’s sexually recharged descriptions with the dancer’s bodies objectify the ladies in the story, which in the end makes them emblems for his desire to engage in black lifestyle. Contrarily, his refusal to commit all of them show his inability to fully realize his culture and his origins. In this way, the story confronts Toomer’s complicated understanding of his own ethnic identity.
