Part 5 Summary

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The city has entered the season of spring, and the narrator notes how the community is starting to emerge from the dormant state of the winter of 1926. Along with the typical transformations associated with the arrival of spring, both physical and emotional, the community is eagerly anticipating any alterations in Joe and Violet. The community is weary of waiting to see if Violet will seek vengeance and if Joe will finally stop weeping.

The narrator confesses to having initial doubts about Joe and believes that he is experiencing a kind of mid-life crisis. "Beware of a loyal man approaching fifty. Having never strayed from his partner and choosing a younger woman to love, he believes he has gained freedom. Not the freedom to perform miracles like multiplying loaves or resurrecting the war dead, but the liberty to act recklessly."

The narrator comprehends that Joe may be 50 years old, but he still feels as if he is 16 at heart. The narrator wonders why Joe doesn't confide in his friends about Dorcas, and why he didn't seek guidance or assistance.

Joe narrates his perspective on the events and attempts to clarify that Dorcas had a captivating effect on him. She had a positive impact on his life, making him feel invigorated and causing him to transform himself. He was satisfied with his life and had no desire to alter it, but he managed to successfully reinvent himself seven times due to unforeseen circumstances. However, the change he made for Dorcas was excessive and went beyond his capabilities.

Joe underwent two significant transformations in his life. The initial one occurred when he decided to choose his own name and gave himself the surname Trace since he had no knowledge of his biological parents. The second shift happened when he received guidance from Hunter's Hunter and learned how to become a responsible and mature person.

Joe underwent three significant changes in his life, with the fourth one occurring when he made the decision to relocate to the North. The first change happened when he was compelled to depart from Vienna, his birthplace, due to a catastrophic fire that destroyed all the fields and residences. To find employment, he had to trek 15 miles, which was when he encountered Violet for the first time.

Joe underwent his fifth transformation when he relocated with Violet to Harlem, where they resided in a spacious and properly maintained apartment complex. Later, he experienced his sixth big change after being almost fatally injured during a race-related upheaval, wherein he was struck on the head with a pipe. This brush with death had a profound effect on him, as it typically does on anyone.

Joe changed his position for the seventh time because he believed that others might change their perspectives regarding racial injustice. He held the misguided notion that the outstanding bravery of Black soldiers during World War I would ensure they receive fair treatment and democracy in their own country.

Joe reflects on the transformations he has undergone in his life and concludes that he has changed too many times, to the point where he has become a "new Negro" repeatedly. Despite all the experiences he has had and the changes he has gone through, nothing has prepared him for meeting Dorcas, who has had a profound impact on him.

Joe elaborated on his past experiences as a woodsman and sharecropper, and also explained the reasons that led him to migrate North. He expressed his admiration for Booker T. Washington, an African-American spokesperson who was invited to the White House, which Joe saw as an...

(This entire section contains 886 words.)

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indication that it was time for him to make a change.

Joe described how he and Violet progressed from one occupation to the next after arriving in the city. Initially, Violet worked as a live-in housekeeper, while Joe took on a variety of roles until he eventually found his niche in the hotel industry. Joe noted that the work he did in the North was much easier than the physically demanding work he was used to doing in the fields.

Joe remembers the race riots of 1917 and how fortunate he was to have escaped being beaten to death. Despite experiencing a different level of American prosperity, he had a decent job and felt content. However, things took a turn when Violet began losing her sanity.

Dorcas attempts to end her relationship with Joe when she meets a man who is her age and he accepts her. Joe is emotionally wounded by the hurtful words that Dorcas used to push him away. He realizes that he cannot compete with the younger, more attractive men that he calls "roosters" or "Sweetbacks."

Joe appreciates Dorcas' complexion the most when their relationship was going well. Although some may have considered her skin to be imperfect, Joe saw the marks on her face as resembling animal tracks. These marks reminded Joe of his childhood experiences in the woods, where he felt comfortable. Joe received training from Hunter's Hunter during his youth, which included learning the ways of the woods. Additionally, he learned that white people only showed kindness to things they pitied.

Joe's foremost skill was being a woodsman, and he understood that all living beings leave footprints. Having tracked his mother with success before, Joe opts to use the same method to follow Dorcas.

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