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Layman
Cora is a Black woman and acquaintance of Stella, Ralph Kabnis, Fred Halsey, and others. By implication, like Stella, she is either a sex worker or a woman who engages in casual sex, although she is younger and less experienced than Stella. During the going-away party for Lewis, she attaches herself to Kabnis.
Cora Quotes in Cane
The Cane quotes below are all either spoken by Cora or refer to Cora. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
29. Kabnis Quotes
Their meeting is a swift sun-burst. Lewis impulsively moves towards her. His mind flashes images of her life in the southern town. He sees the nascent woman, her flesh already stiffening to cartilage, drying to bone. Her spirit-bloom, even now touched sullen, bitter. Her rich beauty fading…He wants to— He stretches forth his hands to hers. He takes them. They feel like warm cheeks against his palms. The sun-burst from her eyes floods up and haloes him. Christ-eyes, his eyes look to her. Fearlessly she loves into them. Sand then something happens. Her face blanches. Awkwardly she draws away. The sin-bogies of respectable southern colored folks clamor at her: “Look out! Be a good girl. A good girl. Look out!”
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Cora Character Timeline in Cane
The timeline below shows where the character Cora appears in Cane. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
29. Kabnis
Late that night, Halsey and Kabnis bring Lewis and two women, Cora and Stella, down to the cellar. Father John sits silently in a chair in a...
(full context)
Cora and Stella sit at the table as Kabnis dons a ceremonial robe and joins them,...
(full context)
...he’s started staring at them. Kabnis hates the scrutiny. He tells Lewis to look at Cora, or back at Father John. Then he defensively declares that his ancestors were “Southern bluebloods.”...
(full context)
...Stella’s sex work, offending her. She defends herself. While Kabnis parades around the cellar with Cora, Halsey takes Lewis aside and tells him about his life. Halsey once wanted an education,...
(full context)
Halsey presses another drink on Kabnis. Cora sits in Kabnis’s lap and smothers him with affection. The pain of everyone in the...
(full context)
Very early the next morning, before sunrise, Halsey, Cora, and Stella leave Kabnis in the dark cellar with Father John. Hours later, as he...
(full context)
