Briana S. Robles

A Fixed Mindset: Slavery and Its Effect on the Minds of Black Americans in Jean Toomer’s Cane

Brianna S. Robles

English 336 – Dr. Eurie Dahn

How does the environment one has been accustomed to affect the way they behave and view the world? In Jean Toomer’s book, Cane, the author shows how the traumatic reality of slavery imposed on black people has caused them to react in ways cohesive to what they have experienced. Despite the debate on whether or not Toomer was worthy enough to write this book on the experiences of black people in the South, the reader is introduced to the mindset of many black characters. Even though many of the characters had different experiences in Southern states, their trauma manifested itself in similar ways. The time period of the book highlights the struggles black people had to endure after migrating from Southern states into Northern territory. Despite being free from slavery, the residue from systematic oppression seemingly followed them wherever they went. In the book, Toomer brings light to these issues and helps the reader to understand how the effects of being oppressed and enslaved has created a mindset parallel to these experiences. The book focuses on how trauma from things seen and experienced during slavery creates a cycle that black people unknowingly participate in. In Jean Toomer’s Cane, the author uses chronotope, the connection between time and place, to highlight how the trauma and learned behavior imposed on black people from slavery has created a fixed mindset they cannot be set free from. In the first part of Toomer’s Cane, the reader is introduced to a woman by the name of Fern, who ultimately is physically desired by most men she comes into contact with. Instantly, when the reader begins the section they are familiarized with her physical characteristics, specifically her eyes. Her eyes being the main focus for the majority of the chapter, the men who were attracted to her eyes

often sexualized Fern’s whole body. The men who were attracted to Fern believed they were entitled to her body and therefore she would be an easy catch because that was her role as a woman. In the book, the narrator states that “the sexes were made to mate is the practice of the South. Particularly, black folks were made to mate” (Toomer 19). According to the quote, the idea that black people, specifically black women, were only good for their physical characteristics stemmed from learned behavior in the South, particularly that of slavery. Originating from the beginnings of slavery in the South, Cane makes a connection between how the time period and location influenced how the role of women and their bodies were often viewed by men. Since many black people had no true sense of autonomy during slavery, it became almost inevitable for men to view women in any other manner than what they were exposed to. This learned behavior caused the men to not only sexualize Fern but to feel entitled to her body. The men attracted to her began to question what it was about Fern that made them desire her and why they felt this desire so strongly. Toomer describes this desire by stating, “A man in fever is no trifling thing to send away. They began to leave her, baffled and ashamed, yet vowing to themselves that some day they would do some fine thing for her: send her candy every week and not let her know whom it came from… rescue her from some unworthy fellow who had tricked her into marrying them.” (Toomer 18). Once the men realized how their strong desire for Fern was often met with their inability to own and control her, they prided themselves on being an inconsistent present in her life. The goal of the men in Fern’s life was to make her need and desire them in ways that created tension between them in hopes of her becoming submissive to their wishes. Seemingly based on the interaction between the men and Fern, their behavior represented their entitlement not only to her body but to her attention as well. In particular, this section of the novel highlights the constant power struggle of the sexes and illustrates to the reader how many believe that the presence of men is in fact needed to bring safety and security to women. Toomer’s belief that the mind and body are connected further argues the idea that learned behavior is passed down and imposed onto other people. In the text, “Jean Toomer’s Cane and the Erotics of Mourning”, the author highlights how the lasting effects of slavery affects the way the body is represented and illustrated to the novel’s readers. In reference to vain illustrations made in the novel, Williams argues that, “Throughout Cane, violation of the land as/and woman is haunted by the trauma of enslavement and the sexual exploitation of black women that sustained it” (Williams 89). Stemming back to enslavement, the idea that women are property and can be exploited for

their enjoyment has been ingrained into the minds of many men therefore causing them to behave accordingly. As a result of habitual actions, men have become accustomed to oversexualizing black women and their bodies. The author of the article also argues that the trauma of slavery in Southern states is evident in Toomer’s narrative through the intersectionality of sexualization and death. Toomer uses concepts of death to show how the oversexualization of women results in their loss of innocence. In reference to the women in the book, the author of the article states, “acts of sexual union and conception in Cane are marked again and again by traumatic history. I want to intervene at that critical crossroads in Cane, where sexuality and loss intersect at the black female body. I call this coupling of desire and loss an “erotics of mourning” and regard Cane as an embodied narrative of a passing era associated with the trauma of slavery.” (Williams 88). The author of the article argues that the connection between sexualization and loss stems from the trauma of slavery, where young black women were often raped and/or sexually assaulted by their slave owners. While the time period depicts the oversexualization of women and the loss of their innocence, the trauma attached to it had a long-lasting effect on the behaviors and mindset of both women and men. Likewise, the way women are depicted during this time period is displayed in the story of Karintha. In Karintha, the section begins with a lyric poem that does not tell much about Karintha’s characteristics but only gives the reader information on her physical attributes. Toomer purposely and strategically does this in order to show how women’s bodies were often oversexualized, causing men to not only desire them, but to desire them at such a young age. In reference to her physical attributes, the narrator states, “Her skin is like dusk on the eastern horizon, O cant you see it, O cant you see it, Her skin is like dusk on the eastern horizon when the sun goes down” (Toomer 5). Instantly, the reader is forced into seeing her the way the men in the story view her. The narrator does not allow the reader to make their own conclusions about Karintha but coerces them into oversexualizing her skin as well. Continuing on throughout the section, the narrator implies that Karintha is young despite the men’s attraction to her. Repeatedly, the narrator states, “Karintha is a woman” as a way to convince himself as well as the reader that due to Karintha’s age, the way men treat her is acceptable. However, the constant repetition of this saying brings a sense of suspicion to the reader and allows them to question whether or not Karintha is actually old enough to be looked at and treated in this manner by the older men. Karintha, although being a lyric poem depicts how women despite their age were predatorized by men much older than them which was learned behavior.

The oversexualization and objectivity of women caused by traumatic experiences from slavery is represented in the way the narrator chooses to speak about Karintha. In the section, the narrator constantly compares her to other things instead of allowing her to carry her own depth and meaning. In “Mediating Forms: Narrating the Body in Jean Toomer’s Cane” Whyde argues that the description of Karintha did not add to her value in the story, but caused the reader to look at her as an object. The author states, “As a sign, she is narratively emptied of all meaning and then filled by the narrator; she is a passive object whose meaning is imposed on her by the outside” (Whyde 44). The true state of Karintha is based on the interpretation of the men who lust after her. By allowing the men to dictate how Karintha is seen by the reader, it forces the reader to place Karintha in the shadow of the men who desire her. Similarly, throughout the section, the reader is only subject to the information given to them through the perspective of the men who want her. Whyde states, “The flashes of light and color that characterize her replace her physical presence, and the desire men feel for her subsumes her. Woman is narratively transformed into desire which mediates the relationship between male and female, literally and figuratively turning the two into one” (Whyde 44). By having the reader view Karintha through the lens of men, Karintha loses her true identity and takes on the identity of the men who speak of her. Despite not speaking directly of slavery, the correlation between slavery in the South during this time period and the way women were treated is shown through the narrator’s interaction with Karintha. While many slaves were considered property, their identity was stripped away from them causing them to solely be identified as objects and property of their slave owners. Although one may argue that the enslavement of black people has not affected them mentally because they are able to reach higher social status, through the use of the character Ralph Kabnis, Toomer highlights how mental enslavement is not something black people can escape. In “Kabnis”, a short story that encompasses many songs, Toomer expresses how black people are often shackled by a slave mentality despite their current environment. The reader is first introduced to the songs of the chapter when the main character of the story, Ralph Kabnis, a Northerner who returns back to the South to teach, tries to put himself to sleep by reading a book. However, being restless, Kabnis realizes that despite his living situation in the North, fear of having to live in white America still haunts him when he faces the harsh realities of the South. The narrator states, “the warm whiteness of his bed, the lamp- light, do not protect him from the weird chill of their song” (Toomer 81). In this context, the “song” Kabnis is

referencing, is that of the wound he has received from being black and having to deal with the trauma of slavery. To represent chronotope, the narrator, gives the reader an internal perspective of Kabnis’ mindset, which allows us to see that although his social position in the North might have protected him, the environment cannot change how the trauma of slavery in the South has been rooted into his mind. In addition to the time period, Kabnis’ goal was to escape the bondage of slavery in the South by reverting to a Northern lifestyle. The lyrics go on to say, “white-man’s land. Ni**ers, sing. Burn, bear black children till poor rivers bring rest, and sweet glory in Camp Ground.” (Toomer 81). The song represents how black people will always have to live with being on the “white man’s land” and not fully feeling at home in their own hometown and environment. Despite being natives to the environment, black people’s constant awareness of how they are perceived by white people will always constrain them to a mindset and lifestyle that is not that of their own. Although Kabnis was a Northerner and now lives in the South, the constant uncomfortability and internal struggle he faces shows how he is stuck in a cycle imposed on him through learned behavior. In the section, Kabnis is facing an internal struggle between his mixed identities, that which has enslaved him and the other Northern culture identity he tries to portray. In the article, “Jean Toomer’s Kabnis”, by Tom Marvin, the author shows the internal struggle the main character faces and how Kabnis, the main character tries to ignore his black roots. The author states, “The paradoxical phrase ‘so close to me that I cannot reach them’ perfectly expresses his dilemma: physical proximity to the black folk makes him painfully aware of his failure to traverse the mountain of class and culture that stands in the way” (Marvin 44). Despite being from the North, Kabnis, while being in physical proximity of Southern culture and all it entails, begins to realize that he is like them in more ways than one. Later in the section when Kabnis is speaking to two older men in the community, he realizes that although he may not be as well versed in Southern life as the older men, he still has ties to enslavement. In the article, the author discusses how despite Kabnis’ denial of Southern culture, he still faces the fear that any other black person faces. The author states, “By rejecting the ecstatic devotion he witnesses in the rural church, Kabnis confirms his identity as a ‘Yankee,’ forever alienated from the community.” (Marvin 44). Kabnis ultimately denies his ties to Southern culture by calling himself a Yankee, in other words, a Northerner, however, the local men try to get him to realize that whether he likes it or not, he is still black and has to face the effects associated with his skin color. Although Kabnis associates with being from the North, when he reaches the Southern

states and realizes he is still a part of black culture, he recognizes how similar their traumas and experiences are to his. Through Kabnis’ character, the reader is shown how one cannot escape their own identity and that despite whether being physically enslaved or not, black people are consumed with learned behaviors and traumas of slavery. In closing, although being debatable on whether or not Jean Toomer’s Cane should be considered a novel, throughout the book, Toomer uses both lyric poetry and short stories to represent how black people’s behaviors is a direct representation of learned habits and trauma directly associated with slavery in Southern states. In the lyric poetry and songs spread throughout the sections, the narrator is much more descriptive when illustrating how trauma has mentally enslaved many black people and caused them to live their life out of fear. As stated before, the body and identity of women is often compared to that of an object, ultimately stripping their sense of autonomy away. Likewise, in the short stories, like Kabnis, for example, Toomer allows the reader to get a direct perspective on the thoughts of the character. Although encompassing a song in the section, the section is significant due to the perspective it is being told from. This allows the reader to get direct access to the thoughts of the character as opposed to having limited access to important information, which in some cases can minimize the emotional connection the reader feels to the story or song. Toomer strategically switches perspectives throughout “Fern”, “Karintha” and “Kabnis” in order to show how the trauma enacted from slavery becomes ingrained in black people’s mindset causing them to act in a way similar to their experiences. The significance of the connection between the slavery and Southern states allows readers to see how both the time period and the effects of their location ultimately affected the behavior. Slavery was much more proactive in Southern states which allows Toomer to enact how these harsh experiences shaped the way black people, specifically viewed themselves and others around them.

Works Cited

Marvin, Tom. “Jean Toomer’s Kabnis.” Explicator, vol. 67, no. 1, 2008, pp. 43–45. EBSCOhost

Toomer, Jean, et al. Cane: Authoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. W.W. Norton, 2011. Whyde, Janet M. “Mediating Forms: Narrating the Body in Jean Toomer’s Cane.” Southern Literary Journal, vol. 26, no. 1, Fall 1993, p. 42. EBSCOhost

Williams, Jennifer D. “Jean Toomer’s Cane and the Erotics of Mourning.” Southern Literary Journal, vol. 40, no. 2, 2008, pp. 87–101. EBSCOhost