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Part 2, Chapter 2
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Harlem Shuffle, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Crime, Class, and Social Mobility
Identity and Duality
Community, Change, and Loyalty
Systemic Racism, Injustice, and Power
Betrayal, Vengeance, and Integrity
Summary
Analysis
The last time Carney visited Times Square, the air raid siren went off, urging people to seek shelter from a possible bomb. Now, he arrives near midnight, the square still lit up with movie marquees, dance halls, and advertisements. Carney has slipped into a state he calls “dorvay”—a French term he learned in accounting class, which refers to the time between the two shifts of sleep humans naturally used to gravitate towards. Later, Carney learned the word was spelled “dorveille,” a cross between the French words for sleep and wakefulness. Carney has come to think of “dorvay” as “crooked heaven.” After Duke betrays him, Carney slips back into the practice of late-night wakefulness, scheming.
Carney’s movements throughout the city are imbued with memories, emphasizing his deep connection with various New York neighborhoods. Like Times Square, Carney is awake during the late hours, attending to business. The concept of “dorvay” as a period of wakefulness between sleeps recalls Carney’s imagined split between the straight and criminal worlds. As a fence, Carney has already been bridging that gap in one way. Now, he embodies dorvay fully for the purpose of revenge, which he identifies and embraces as a crooked impulse.
Themes
Carney reaches Harvey Moskowitz’s store in the Diamond District. Despite the late hour, the jeweler is in his office. During the day, the store is chaotic, with Moskowitz’s rowdy nephews present. Now it is serious, suggesting illicit dealings. Carney is here on such illegal business, selling stolen jewels to Moskowitz. Since Montague has been sending thieves Carney’s way, half of his haul comes “courtesy of the gangster.” Carney likes Moskowitz better than Buxbaum, who is cocky and paid Carney less than his worth. When Buxbaum’s store was raided, his lawyer put Carney in touch with Moskowitz, who—surprisingly—pays Carney fairly despite his ignorance of the jewel trade.
Moskowitz’s quiet store also evokes the essence of dorvay, providing a liminal space in which Carney can tend to crooked business matters. As with the rest of his life, Carney’s fencing has experienced a notable upgrade, as he now deals with a legitimate jeweler instead of the deceitful Buxbaum. Moskowitz’s refusal to take advantage of Carney’s ignorance suggests he is of stronger moral character than Buxbaum.
Themes
Early in their relationship, Moskowitz offers to pay Carney at Buxbaum’s rate if he can pay the people who bring him the goods upfront. Now, Carney is “a proper middleman.” For six months, Moskowitz tutors Carney in determining a piece’s true worth. Carney tells Elizabeth he is taking a night course in marketing. One night, Moskowitz tells Carney that’s all he needs to know “for his purposes,” highlighting the difference in Carney’s station. Now, Moskowitz makes Carney an offer for the stones before opening up his gigantic safe, which fills Carney with envy.
By offering Carney Buxbaum’s job, Moskowitz elevates Carney by trusting his judgment. His tutoring sessions are a mutually beneficial arrangement, as the more time Moskowitz invests in Carney’s knowledge of the jewel trade, the more likely Carney will bring Moskowitz excellent finds. Despite his respectful nature, Moskowitz is aware that he and Carney interact with different classes of clientele, which is why he stops Carney’s lessons at a certain point. Carney’s envy of Moskowitz’s safe indicates he is still obsessed with building up his material wealth.
Themes
After paying Carney, Moskowitz tells him that Buxbaum got seven years in prison. Both men try to take comfort in the fact he hasn’t ratted them out as co-conspirators yet. On the way home, Carney stops to window-shop at a camera store, wanting to take pictures of his family like Pierce does—though he has stopped talking to the man since the Dumas betrayal. Approaching Times Square again, Carney feels that a surreal logic rules these early hours. He imagines the marquees and billboards rearranging themselves when no one is looking, spelling out “a perfect message of hate, inscribed upon the city itself.”
The potential that Buxbaum might betray Carney and Moskowitz to lessen his sentence increases suspense and reminds the reader that Carney’s financial success comes with a significant risk. Again, Carney’s love for his city is mingled with hatred for its endless grind, echoing the duality that pervades the rest of his life.
Themes
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