# II explained — Cane

> Chapter companion for Cane by Jean Toomer.

## What happens

Esther, now sixteen, begins to dream of rescuing a baby from a fire, first imagining a heroic rescue and then a grotesque version involving the townspeople. At twenty-two, she works in her father's grocery store, feeling alienated and longing for love. She fixates on Barlo, a magnetic and notorious figure, and resolves to confess her love to him, but he does not return for five years, leaving her faded and isolated.

## Themes in this chapter

### Sexuality and Desire

Esther's dreams and her fixation on Barlo highlight her repressed desires and the tension between her fantasies and reality.

### Alienation and Search for Belonging

Esther feels disconnected from both black and white communities, struggling with her near-white appearance and her unrequited love for Barlo.

## Character check-ins

### Esther

Esther is the central character of this chapter, experiencing dreams and fantasies about rescuing a baby, and later working in her father's store while pining for Barlo.

### Barlo

Barlo is the object of Esther's desire; she romanticizes him as a powerful, magnetic figure, though he remains absent for five years.

## Key lines

> She thinks of it immaculately. It is a sin to think of it immaculately.

Esther imagines the baby as conceived without sin, but then feels guilty for having such a thought.

_This reflects Esther's internal conflict between her desires and her religious upbringing._

> Black folk who drift in to buy lard and snuff and flour of her, call her a sweet-natured, accommodating girl. She learns their names. She forgets them.

Customers see Esther as kind and helpful, but she remains emotionally detached, learning their names only to forget them.

_Highlights Esther's alienation and lack of genuine connection with the community._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cane_se/chapters/part-i-ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cane_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cane_se/chapters