Previous
25. Box Seat
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Cane, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Navigating Identity
Racism in the Jim Crow Era
Feminine Allure
Nature vs. Society
The Power and Limitations of Language
Summary
Analysis
Neither the body nor the mind will do as the soul wishes; the connection between the soul and the body is like a closed eye. The speaker prays to “the Spirits” to open that eye and reconnect body and soul. The speaker is tired and depleted, and this has made them forget their soul, which they now want to reclaim.
This short poem in free verse picks up on the themes of alienation and isolation under consideration in “Calling Jesus” and “Box Seat.” It can also be seen as a companion to “Song of the Son” from the Southern section. In “Song,” the speaker finds peace and reintegration of his soul in the rich landscape of Georgia. In “Prayer,” the speaker registers their sense of alienation but does not see how to overcome it, perhaps in part because they belong to an urban society without the deep, nourishing roots necessary for humanity to survive.
Themes
