Racial and Sexual Identity in Cane Lilly Milman College

Throughout the text Cane by Jean Toomer, the author creates a paradoxical depiction of women because, although he at times criticizes the metonymization of women, he also participates in it. For example, the first half of the book relies almost entirely on the mythologization of various female figures in Southern society. However, the second half of the book gives voice to the female characters, thus allowing for a critique of the male behavior. Similarly, the text expresses a deep nostalgia for the origins of the African American culture, while simultaneously acknowledging a past filled with slavery and oppression. The interaction of these two concepts throughout the text help to articulate the complex issue of racial identity in post-slavery America. An example is the comparison of women to cotton flowers. Each vignette in the text acts as a force reconciling the cognitive dissonance that comes with Toomer’s “mourning” of his problematic racial origins, while also exploring his controversial views of women and sexuality. One example where race and gender interact is in the story “Theater.”

Since the story is told through the point of view of John, the male gaze is very prevalent in the descriptions of the women‒especially in...