Historical and Formal Analysis of Jean Toomer Blood Burning Moon

¶ … anaylsis of Jean Toomer, "Blood Burning Moon"

A number of critical elements collide in Jean Toomer's short story "Blood-Moon Burning." The story was set in the antebellum period in the South of the United States. As such, there are a number of different dichotomies that the author employs to create his central theme -- the blatant racism which enveloped Africans and African-Americans people in this country, traces of which still exist today. There is that between African-Americans and Caucasians, specifically as this conflict pertains to the love of an African-American woman. There is the contrast between the Southern and the Northern section of the country, which manifests itself in a conflict between tradition and contemporary ways. Then there is the central conflict of the story, the rivalry between Tom Burwell and Bob Stone. Toomer utilizes certain literary devices to portray the central theme of the story -- violent conflict -- by blending elements of foreshadowing, anaphora, and symbolism during the antebellum South setting to emphasize the senselessness of such violence and racism.

The most powerful image of the entire short story is that of the moon, which the author uses as a tangible symbol of the conflict and violence which typifies this tale. There is even a duality in the significance of the moon as a symbol of violence and conflict. On the literal level, a full moon is a relevant symbol for conflict because it has a physical effect on the planet, most noticeably evinced in its effect upon the tides. Figuratively, of course, one can argue that if the moon can affect the literal tides of the world, it can also affect the tides that ebb and swell within the hearts and minds of men. This figurative tide is a symbolism of the welling emotions which largely animate the principle characters in the story, Tom, Bob and Louisa as well. The subsequent passage shows how Toomer uses the moon to symbolize conflict and violence.

Up from the dusk the full moon came. Glowing like a fired pine-knot, it illumined the great door and soft showered the Negro shanties along the single street of factory town. The full moon in the great door was an omen. Negro women improvised songs against its spell (Toomer).

This passage describes the moon as a potent symbol of the type of emotions and sway it has over the land. It is key to note that the moon is described as both an "omen" as well as an entity which is casting a "spell." Additionally, the moon has a reddish hue to it, which the author alludes to by describing it as "glowing" like a "fired pine-knot." Red is a symbol used to connote danger and passion. As such, the author uses the moon as a symbol of the physical conflict and violence upon which the plot of the story hinges.

Toomer also uses a copious amount of foreshadowing to signal to the reader that this story will take on violent tones. It is necessary to understand that in the antebellum period in the South, there was a lengthy history of violence between African-Americans and Caucasians which stemmed from slavery, during which time slaves could only fight amongst each other (Luissa 901), and not with whites. Despite the fact that the end of the Civil War and documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation officially outlawed slavery in the region, the period of reconstruction and, perhaps even worse, the ensuing years from the end of the 19th century to the emergence of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950's and 1960's, was still a critical time in this region in which racism, hatred, and race violent occurred frequently and was considered somewhat normal (Barnes and Connelly 237). Therefore, the author's frequent allusions to the racial distinctions between Louisa's suitors (Tom and Bob) actually foreshadow the violence that is soon to erupt between the pair. The subsequent quotation illustrates how the issue of race in the south is used to foreshadow the ensuing violence. "Bob Stone, younger son of the people she worked for, loved her. By the way the world reckons on things, he had won her… Tom Burwell…also loved her. But working in the fields all day, and far from her, gave him no chance to show it" (Toomer). This passage is preceded by one in which Toomer indicates that Louisa works for Caucasians, so the reader knows that Stone, the "son" of these people is white. Additionally, the fact that Burwell is laboring in "the fields" without opportunity to demonstrate his affections for Louisa indicates that he is African-American. By dividing Louisa's suitors on racial lines in a climate and setting that is decidedly explosive regarding racial matters, Toomer is foreshadowing some sort of conflict between Louisa's suitors.