Chapter+4+Non-Folk+Tale+Narrative



The Aaron Douglas painting “Into Bondage” would illustrate the scene in Mules and Men where the men in Polk County are waiting around for the straw-boss to arrive at the beginning of the work day.

The image depicts a group of black men in chains in the foreground being led to two large ships in the background. There are a variety of ferns and palms in the foreground, giving viewers the impression that these are formerly free Africans being led into slavery. In the sky, however, we see a red star, beaming light towards the eyes of the central figure. I see this star as representing the undying spirit of those who've been captured--”yes, things are terrible now, but it's possible that they could eventually get better.” The rings of light around the star give it a heavenly look, like the star is a message from God supporting such hope.

The scene in the text that this reminds me of is the one where the men are headed off to work and are warned by their women not to “keep the straw-boss waiting” (Hurston 67). The textual note in our edition indicates that the straw-boss is “the low-paid poor white section boss on a railroad” (Hurston 67). The key word here is “white.” While these black men are technically no longer enslaved, they are still in bondage—except now to the corporation that the white men work for instead of to the white men themselves. On this particular day, the star is the hope that the straw-boss will not show up, giving them a day to spend to themselves. The foreman seems to grant that wish when he arrives to tell them that there won't be any work in the swamp today—but takes it away again when he tells them to head to the mill to make sure they're not needed there. This almost-freedom is similar to the ships-and-shackles in the Douglass painting; the boat usually symbolizes freedom, but that freedom is withheld by the shackles. The absence of the straw-boss would usually mean a day off, but that is delayed by the foreman's order to check in at the mill.

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COLIN CARR

Chapter 4