Moses and the Lizard, “The Fire and the Cloud”
The Biblical Moses appears here as a more humanized figure, a man with doubts who feels alone in the universe. On the other hand, the story features Moses discussing these feelings of alienation and uncertainty with a lizard while sitting beside a grave.
Isis Watts, “Drenched in Light”
“Drenched in Light” is another story built upon an allegorical foundation. Isis is a free-spirited, creative, young African-American girl who loves performing. Grandma Potts is more practical-minded as well as being none too happy with Isis’ habit of instantly becoming friends with strangers. Strangers like Helen convince Isis to put on a show at the hotel. This seemingly simple story is a quite complex analysis and indictment of how white American society wields such powerful influence over talented black artists and the work they create.
Pinkie, “Muttsy”
Weirdly enough, there is a character named Muttsy in this story, but its central concern is really with Pinkie rather than the title character. The story, however, is all about the rather sweet romance that blossoms between Pinkie, a Floridian who moved to New York, and the slicker New York gambler, Muttsy. Beneath the romance, however, runs the historical thematic tapestry of the culture clash that often occurred during the Great Migration when millions of African Americans from the South moved northward.
Sweetback and Marvel aka Jelly, “Story in Harlem Slang”
Some stories deliver exactly what the title promises and this is one of them. It is a story told entirely in Harlem slang about Jelly (who changed his name from Marvel after moving from Alabama to Harlem) and his friend Sweetback. The story itself of only secondary consequences; the power lies in the telling. Fortunately, the author provides a very helpful glossary of terms to help those who are not literate in 1940s-era Harlem slang. Their story does carry meaning, however, as it reveals the predatory nature of the two men toward the female character, but she’s got their number and won’t submit, promising she’ll scream like a white woman if they even try to touch her.
The River and the Brook, “Magnolia Flower”
Two of the most unusual characters in the body of work Hurston produced are the dual tellers of this love story between John and Magnolia Flower. The river and the brook are actual bodies of water, while Magnolia is a young woman with an unusual name. For the most part, it is the river telling the story and the brook listening, but the story is stimulated by the brook’s singing and the river inquiring why it does so. The answer has to do with the proximity of those who are in love prompts the river into the narrative account of John and Magnolia and her parents, a former slave named Bentley, and a Native American woman named Swift Deer.
