Previous
Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Devil in a Blue Dress, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Race and Identity
Power and Corruption
Violence, Justice, and Morality
The American Dream
Summary
Analysis
The next morning, Easy visits the Champion Aircraft plant to ask his former boss, Benny Giacomo, about returning to his old job. Before he can speak with Giacomo, Dupree interrupts, saying that Coretta has disappeared without explanation and pressing Easy for information. Easy has no idea where Coretta could be. In Giacomo’s office, the boss implies that Easy can only return if he apologizes for his earlier behavior. Unwilling to compromise his pride, Easy refuses and demands to be treated with the same respect as Giacomo’s White employees. Though he leaves the plant without a job, Easy feels glad to have finally stood up to Giacomo.
Coretta’s sudden disappearance heightens the various mysteries already at play, like the whereabouts of Daphne Monet or the murder of Howard Green. Especially because Easy only had sex with Coretta a couple of days beforehand—and spoke to her about Daphne—he wonders if her disappearance could be tied to his investigation. Meanwhile, Easy’s confrontation with Giacomo speaks to his evolving sense of self-worth as a Black man in America. His refusal to be mistreated mirrors his resolve to resist all forms of oppression, even when it comes at a personal cost.
Themes
