Whenever Tom's name comes up or Tom is with Louisa, Bob becomes infuriated " [Bob] walked calmly to their meeting place. No Louisa. Tom Burwell had her. Veins in his forehead bulged and distended. Saliva moistened the dried blood on his lips. He bit down on his lips. He tasted blood. Not his own blood; Tom Burwell's blood" (Toomer 65). Bob shows his racism through thoughts about Louisa. He thinks about the good old days when he did not have to worry about Louisa, in spite of her still being a slave. "He saw Louisa bent over the hearth. He went in as a master should, and took her. Direct, honest, bold. None of this sneaking that he had to go through now. The contrast was repulsive to him" (Toomer 63). Not only does Toomer show Bob's racial hatred but also reveals that he is repulsed in a way by what he is doing. "Him, Bob Stone, of the old Stone family, in a scrap with a nigger of a nigger girl" (Toomer 64). Bob blushes when he thinks of his mother or sister learning about his relationship. He even feels embarrassed when he ponders explaining this to his "Northern Friends". Repeatedly Bob exclaims, "His family had lost ground" (Toomer 64). In this way, Toomer alludes to the white man's loss of power and sexual possession over African American women.
Throughout the story, Toomer demonstrates racism through imagery. As noted in the title, the moon plays a foremost role in the scene of the story. The story opens and closes with the image of "The full moon in the great door" (Toomer 60) as an evil omen. The full moon has originally been renowned for its mood changing powers. The most distinguished example of this is the were-wolf. As the moon appears, it releases the tribulations of a man, transforming him into a beast. Throughout the story the women in the background sing against this moon three different times in an attempt to prevent the brawl to come. .
" Red nigger moon. Sinner!.
Blood-Burning Moon.
