# II explained — Cane

> Chapter companion for Cane by Jean Toomer.

## What happens

At the Lincoln Theater, Muriel attends a boxing match with Bernice, feeling conflicted about Dan Moore. Dan arrives, and their tense eye contact reveals mutual discomfort. During the show, a dwarf boxer sings to Muriel and offers her a blood-stained rose. Dan shouts out, disrupting the performance, and after a confrontation with another audience member, he is led outside into a dark alley.

## Themes in this chapter

### Violence and Brutality

The boxing match and the subsequent physical confrontation between Dan and another man underscore the theme of violence.

### Sexuality and Desire

Muriel's internal conflict about Dan and the dwarf's symbolic offering of a blood-stained rose evoke themes of desire and revulsion.

### Alienation and Search for Belonging

Dan feels out of place in the theater, and Muriel is isolated by the audience's gaze, highlighting their alienation.

## Character check-ins

### Muriel

Attends the boxing match, conflicted about her feelings for Dan, and is publicly offered a rose by the dwarf performer.

### Dan Moore

Follows Muriel to the theater, experiences intense emotions, disrupts the show by shouting, and gets into a physical altercation.

### Bernice

Accompanies Muriel to the theater and encourages her to accept the rose from the dwarf.

### Mr. Barry

The dwarf performer who sings and offers a blood-stained rose to Muriel.

## Key lines

> Muriel: Never see Dan again. He makes me feel queer. Starts things he doesnt finish. Upsets me. I am not upset. I am perfectly calm. I am going to enjoy the show.

Muriel resolves to avoid Dan, blaming him for unsettling her, but tries to convince herself she is calm and focused on the show.

_Reveals Muriel's inner turmoil and denial about her feelings for Dan._

> Dan: I am going to reach up and grab the girders of this building and pull them down. The crash will be a signal. Hid by the smoke and dust Dan Moore will arise. In his right hand will be a dynamo. In his left, a god's face that will flash white light from ebony.

Dan fantasizes about destroying the theater and emerging as a powerful, almost messianic figure.

_Illustrates Dan's grandiose and rebellious imagination in response to his discomfort._

> Words come from them⁠ ⁠… Arms of the audience reach out, grab Muriel, and hold her there. Claps are steel fingers that manacle her wrists and move them forward to acceptance.

Muriel feels coerced by the audience's applause and the dwarf's gaze into accepting the rose.

_Highlights the social pressure and Muriel's lack of agency in the moment._

## Links

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