The Conjure Woman · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Conjure Woman by Charles W. Chesnutt.
Chapter 1
The Goophered Grapevine
The narrator and his wife Annie meet Julius McAdoo, an old Black man, while inspecting a vineyard they consider buying. Julius warns them that the vineyard is 'goophered' (bewitched) and tells the story of how Mars Dugal' McAdoo hired the conjure woman Aunt Peggy to place a curse on the grapes to prevent slaves from stealing them. The curse caused anyone who ate the grapes to die within a year. A slave named Henry, who unknowingly ate the grapes, was saved by Aunt Peggy's magic but became bound to the vineyard's health—thriving when the vines thrived and dying when a Yankee ruined the vines.
Chapter 2
Po' Sandy
Julius tells the story of Sandy, a slave who is constantly lent out by his master Mars Marrabo McSwayne, causing him to be separated from his wife Tenie. Tenie, a conjure woman, turns Sandy into a pine tree so he can stay on the plantation. The tree is later cut down and milled into lumber, which is used to build a schoolhouse. The schoolhouse is later rumored to be haunted by Sandy's spirit. In the frame story, the narrator plans to tear down the schoolhouse for a new kitchen, and Julius asks to use it for church meetings.
Chapter 3
Mars Jeems's Nightmare
Julius's grandson Tom proves lazy and is discharged by the narrator. While waiting at a mineral spring, the narrator and his wife witness a neighbor cruelly beating his horse. Julius remarks that such cruelty leads to bad dreams, and tells the story of Mars Jeems McLean, a harsh slaveholder who forbade singing, dancing, courting, and marriage among his slaves, and whose brutal treatment only worsened after a failed courtship.
Chapter 4
The Conjurer's Revenge
On a dull Sunday afternoon, the narrator and his wife Annie are visited by Julius, who warns against buying a mule. Julius tells the story of Primus, a slave who was transformed into a mule by a conjurer after stealing a pig. The mule exhibits strange behavior, including eating tobacco, getting drunk on wine, and attacking Primus's wife's new lover, Dan. Eventually, the conjurer repents and turns Primus back into a man, but with a club foot as a permanent reminder.
Chapter 5
Sis' Becky's Pickaninny
Julius tells the story of Sis' Becky, a field hand separated from her husband and later traded by her owner for a racehorse. Her baby Mose is sold to a speculator, causing Becky deep despair. Through conjure and the help of Aunt Peggy, she is reunited with her son, who later buys her freedom. The story is framed by Annie's melancholy and her eventual recovery after hearing it, with Julius's rabbit's foot appearing as a token of luck.
Chapter 6
The Gray Wolf's Ha'nt
On a rainy day at the vineyard, Julius warns the narrator against clearing a neck of woods by the swamp, telling a tragic story from slavery days about Dan, a strong enslaved man, and his wife Mahaly. A conjurer's son pursues Mahaly, leading to a confrontation where Dan kills him. The conjurer transforms Dan into a gray wolf, and after Mahaly dies of grief, Dan's wolf haunt lingers. Julius uses the tale to discourage the clearing, and the narrator later discovers Julius had been secretly harvesting honey from a bee-tree in that very spot.
Chapter 7
Hot-Foot Hannibal
The chapter opens with the narrator overhearing a violent quarrel between his sister-in-law Mabel and her fiancé Malcolm Murchison, which leads to a broken engagement. Ten days later, during a family drive, old Julius steers them away from the short road by telling a story about a jealous woman named Chloe who was tricked by Hannibal. The detour leads to a chance meeting with Malcolm, and the couple reconciles. Julius's motives remain ambiguous, but the reconciliation benefits him.
Chapter 8
Other Julius Tales
This chapter collects additional stories told by Uncle Julius, each illustrating themes of slavery, superstition, and resistance. The tales include the story of the goophered vineyard, the haunting of the gray wolf, and other narratives that reveal the cunning and agency of enslaved people.
Chapter 9
Dave’s Neckliss
On a Sunday afternoon, Julius eats ham at the narrator's home and is moved to tears, prompting him to tell the story of Dave, a literate enslaved man who was falsely accused of stealing a ham and forced to wear it around his neck as punishment, leading to his mental decline.
Chapter 10
Lonesome Ben
While inspecting clay banks for a potential brick-making enterprise, the narrator and his wife witness a poor white woman eating clay. Uncle Julius explains the practice and is prompted to tell the story of Lonesome Ben, a slave who was disfigured and unrecognizable after a severe whipping and prolonged hiding, leading to his tragic alienation from his family and community.
Chapter 11
A Victim of Heredity
The narrator catches a chicken thief and debates the appropriate punishment, while Julius explains that Black people's fondness for chicken is a result of a conjure plot by Aunt Peggy against Mars Donal' McDonal', who had cheated his nephew Tom and mistreated his slaves.
Chapter 12
Tobe's Tribulations
Julius tells the story of Tobe, a slave who, after his wife dies, desires to run away to the North for freedom. Aunt Peggy attempts to transform him into a bullfrog temporarily to evade capture, but a mistake in the potion leaves him permanently trapped as a frog in the marsh, where he still calls out for her decades later.
Chapter 13
Endnotes
This chapter contains endnotes providing brief explanations of terms used in the main text, including a description of a card used by rural Black communities as a comb and a definition of 'jewel.'
