Why Hughes Considers Blood-Burning Moon The Finest Negro Prose Essay Example

while the third part is a loosely-structured play that can also be seen as a short story. These narratives are set on a plantation where African-Americans often worked in the early 1900s. Blood-Burning Moon stands out from the other stories due to its controversial subject matter.

The story of Blood-Burning Moon portrays a clash between a Nordic American and an African-American, both vying for the affections of an African-American woman. This conflict escalates into violence, historically capable of enraging white people and shaming black people.

Bob Stone and Tom Burwell are vying for the love of Louisa, a light-skinned African-American woman. In the 1920s, despite the abolition of slavery, it was still typical for financially struggling black individuals to serve wealthy white people. Louisa works as a domestic servant in the Stone family household, while Tom labors as a field hand.

Bob reveals his racist attitudes towards both Louisa and Tom, expressing apprehension about societal judgment for being in a relationship with a black woman and also harboring resentment towards competing against a black man.

The speaker expresses doubt about the idea of a black person being in a relationship with his girl. He mocks himself as a member of the respected Stone family and finds it absurd to argue with a black person over a black girl. He also nostalgically recalls "the good old days" (Toomer 32).

Bob’s racism extends further than his envy towards Tom. Even in his youth and while in love, he criticizes himself for becoming involved with an African-American woman. His thoughts demonstrate the mixed emotions he has towards her, which hinder his ability

to be affectionate and caring towards her. Despite the racial divide they face, Bob still admires Louisa's beauty, appreciating her blackness despite the societal barrier it creates between them.

According to Toomer (32), he was attracted to her because she had a unique beauty that stemmed from her race, specifically being black.

Bob attempts to comprehend the reason behind constantly acknowledging her blackness, while secretly acknowledging his own need for a sense of superiority and control. Ultimately, he realizes that his family still maintains a significant level of ownership over African-Americans.

As Bob's infatuation with Louisa grows stronger, his prejudice is further highlighted when he considers the possibility of competing with Tom, a farm worker in his family who is socially inferior. In addition to working for him, Tom is also African American, a characteristic that Bob cannot accept. "No person of African descent had ever been involved with his romantic partner" (Toomer 32).

However, Tom's attraction to Louisa adds to the excitement for Bob. This satisfaction is not just sexual but also related to the racial context, where Bob's race is considered superior to Tom's.

Toomer demonstrates the most extreme form of white racism in Blood-Burning Moon through the depiction of Tom's lynching. This portrayal effectively highlights racial divisions between black and white.

Lynching during the 1920s showcased racial inequalities between black and white individuals. This brutal practice garnered significant attention from Americans nationwide, including those in the South. Newspapers often sensationalized these acts and even portrayed them as a form of entertainment (Rice 5).

Lynchings were seen as celebrations and parties by many individuals. However,

by the 1920s, these acts had transformed from secret operations at night to highly publicized events in broad daylight. They were carefully organized, documented, and promoted across the country (2).

African-Americans have always viewed lynching as immoral, according to critic Trudier Harries. She notes that they actively confront and process the historical trauma of lynching to address present-day racial issues (2).

The text describes a brutal encounter between Tom and Bob, in which Tom uses a knife to harm Bob's neck. The reason for the confrontation is Bob's jealousy towards Tom, who happens to be black. To gain assistance, Bob calls upon his white friends who immediately join him in the fight. They capture Tom and proceed to torture, burn, and eventually kill him. In all of these actions, there is no moment for reflection or consideration of legal measures.

According to Hughes, the black public finds Toomer's Cane unacceptable due to the explicit white racism presented in sexual desire, white supremacy, jealousy, and violence. Hughes states that the colored people did not praise or read Cane, and the white people did not buy it. Furthermore, many of the colored individuals who did read Cane hate it and are afraid of it (Hughes par. 9).

The text expresses fear regarding the strong contrast between black and white. Additionally, it is afraid that it will lead to white individuals being seen as perpetrators of violence, despite their presumed innocence. The text highlights the statement "Look how well a white man does things" (Hughes par. 2).

Despite the presence of white racism expressed through sexual desire, white supremacy, jealousy, and violence,

Hughes regards Cane as the "finest prose written by a Negro in America" and considers it to have a truly racial significance, similar to Robeson's singing (Hughes, par. 8).

Written in 1926 during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, Cane is widely regarded as one of the greatest literary works representing the black race. Its tone, language, style, and context resonate with the spirit of jazz, a truly African American music that Hughes believes is a fundamental expression of Black life in America. To him, jazz is like the everlasting tom-tom drumming in the soul of the Negro (par. 12).

Works Cited

1. Griffin, Farah Jasmine. “Who Set You Flowin’?” The African-American Migration Narrative. NY: Oxford University Press, 1995.
2. Hughes, Langston. “The Negro Artist and the Racial Mountain.” 23 June 1926. The Nation. 20 November 2008. http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/45a/360.html.
3. Rice, Anne P. Ed. Witnessing Lynching: American Writers Respond. Rutgers University Press: NJ, 2003.
4. Toomer, Jean. “Blood-Burning Moon.” Cane. CA: Liveright Publishing Corporation, 1993. 28-38.