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Spunk Quotes
A giant of a brown skinned man sauntered up the one street of the Village and out into the palmetto thickets with a small pretty woman clinging lovingly to his arm.
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In this opening line, the story’s antagonist Spunk Banks is immediately positioned as a formidable and daring man. His physical dominance is illustrated through the word “giant,” and his stature is further emphasized in comparison to the “small pretty woman” on his arm. The small village only has “one street,” and, following Spunk’s parade, its inhabitants instantly begin gossiping about what they have seen. The fact that Spunk casually “sauntered” up the only street in the neighborhood becomes more scandalous when the reader learns that he is with Lena Kanty, a married woman. When Spunk struts past the general store—which Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis conse
“He rides that log down at saw-mill jus' like he struts round wid another man's wife—jus' don't give a kitty.”
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Here, Elijah likens Spunk’s mastery of the machinery at the sawmill where he works to his prowess with women. Elijah presents this similarity as a matter of fearlessness; Spunk doesn’t worry about the dangers at work, or about people seeing him with Lena. His boldness is due in part to his reputation in the community, whereby his status protects him from judgment or criticism. However, his fearlessness also stems from his physical power; no one would dare challenge Spunk because of his overwhelming size and strength. Elijah seems to both admire and envy Spunk for his success at work and Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea
A round-shouldered figure in overalls much too large, came nervously in the door and the talking ceased. The men looked at each other and winked.
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In complete contrast to Spunk, who embodies ideal masculinity, Joe Kanty represents timidity, weakness, and passivity. Joe’s physical inferiority is emphasized through the description of his clothes, which are “much too large for him.” If large, strong men like Spunk end up with “small pretty” women like Lena, the description of Joe in his oversized uniform renders him unmanly and almost feminine. Joe is feminized as a way of emasculating him, while Spunk, and his affair with Lena, is legitimized. Joe is nervous to visit the general store because he knows that he will face ridicule from the men, who Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem
“’Tain’t cause Joe’s timid at all […] If Joe was a passel of wile cats Spunk would tackle the job just the same.”
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When the men watch Joe Kanty walk towards the woods in search of Spunk, knowing that Joe has a razor blade with him and that Spunk will be armed with a gun, Walter Thomas warns Elijah that they are sending Joe to his death. Walter also insists that Spunk’s affair is morally wrong and that he only “carries on wid Lena” because Joe is weak and passive, which implies that Spunk is both cowardly and a bully. When Elijah asserts that Spunk would fight a whole “passel of wile cats” in order to win over Lena, he speaks to Spunk’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut.
“Call her and see if she'll come. A woman knows her boss an' she answers when he calls.”
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After Joe enters the woods in search of Spunk, Elijah begins telling Walter and the men an anecdote about Spunk, Lena, and Joe from the week before. Elijah reports how Spunk had challenged Joe to take Lena back, asserting both his superiority over Joe and his control over Lena. Lena is stripped entirely of her agency over the situation when she is, once again, dehumanized and reduced to the status of Spunk’s property. She is likened to a house pet when Spunk explains, “A woman knows her boss an’ she answers when he calls.” The pronouns in this sentence reveal Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. N
He could work again, ride the dangerous log-carriage that fed the singing, snarling, biting, circle-saw.
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After Spunk has killed Joe in the palmetto forest, he faces a short trial in which he is found not guilty, on account of pleading self-defense. The third-person narrator recounts how Spunk returns to his ordinary life, enjoying his time with Lena and continuing his work at the sawmill. This quote is perhaps the most lyrical in the whole short story and draws attention to dangers of the “circle-saw” through the evocative description, “singing, snarling, biting.” The imagery presents the circle saw as a threatening wild animal, set to attack the men who use it at any moment. Again, the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti sol
“…a big black bob-cat, black all over, you hear me, black, walked round and round that house and howled like forty, an' when Spunk got his gun […] he says it stood right still an' looked him in the eye, […] He says it was Joe done sneaked back from Hell!”
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When Elijah describes the mysterious bobcat that confronted Spunk outside of his new home with Lena, Elijah emphasizes that it was “black all over, you hear me, black.” The bobcat’s blackness is an important yet ambiguous motif. On the one hand, its blackness signifies a dark omen or warning. However, while for Spunk and Elijah it connotes an angry and powerful spirit from “Hell,” the bobcat’s blackness is also a reference to black folklore and voodoo culture, a central focus in Hurston’s academic research as an anthropologist in Haiti and Jamaica. Through the lens of folk spirituality, the bobcat also Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas.
“Humph!” sniffed Walter, “he oughter be nervous after what he done. Ah reckon Joe come back to dare him to marry Lena, or to come out an' fight […] Joe wuz a braver man than Spunk.”
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After Elijah has described Spunk’s incident with the black bobcat to the men, Walter outspokenly expresses his disapproval of Spunk. According to Walter, Spunk deserves to have been spooked by the presence of the bobcat outside his house; the creature symbolizes justice and rightful revenge. Despite “derision from the group,” Walter continues by expressing that he thinks Joe “was a braver man than Spunk” all along. The fact that Joe was physically inferior to Spunk, and knew that Spunk was a “crack shot” with his gun, yet continued to pursue him anyway, demonstrates his superior courage and bravery. For Walter, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam con
“The fust thing he said wuz, ‘He pushed me, 'Lige—the dirty hound pushed me in the back!”—He was spittin' blood at ev'ry breath.”
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As Walter and Elijah walk towards Lena’s house for Spunk’s funeral wake, Elijah recounts how Spunk died. This line of dialogue is reported by Elijah, who describes how Spunk cursed and shouted in his last moments, accusing Joe of having “pushed me” onto the moving circle saw. One the one hand, Spunk’s final words represent his frantic attempts to blame somebody—anybody—for his accident, rather than risk losing respect from the men at the sawmill. On the other hand, it is possible that Joe’s spirit was actually responsible for fatally pushing Spunk. Either way, Spunk once more accuses Joe of having Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusanti
Everyone in the Village was there, even old Jeff Kanty, Joe's father, who […] stood leering triumphantly down upon the fallen giant as if his fingers had been the teeth of steel that laid him low.
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When Jeff Kanty imagines himself as “the teeth of steel that laid [Spunk] low,” he fantasizes about avenging Joe’s death, something he was too afraid to do while Spunk was alive. The violent imagery here depicts the danger and destruction as inherent to the men’s definition of masculinity. The narrator describes Spunk as a “fallen giant,” which at once refers to his literal fall, and evokes figurative ideas of disgrace and dishonor. Jeff glares “triumphantly” at Spunk’s dead body without compassion, and thus Spunk’s funeral ceremony is sullied with feelings of hatred and animosity. Even though “Everyone in the Village Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam co
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