Previous
Part 2, Chapter 5
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
Marie tells Carney that Aunt Millie is expecting him at her house at four. Carney has not seen Freddie since they met at the Big Apple Diner. Returning to Aunt Millie’s house feels more nostalgic than his own childhood home, two blocks down. Aunt Millie has made a cake and Carney remembers it is his mother’s birthday. After her death, his father, Big Mike, disappeared for two months, during which Carney stayed with Aunt Millie and Freddie became like a brother. Now, Carney tells Millie that Freddie looked well when he last saw his cousin. Freddie doesn’t return his mother’s calls. They spend the night reminiscing. Later that night, Millie calls to tell Carney Freddie has been arrested with Biz Dixon.
Freddie’s absence is ominous—he is outside of Carney’s protective (if judgmental) influence. Even while celebrating his mother’s birthday, Carney can only think about being abandoned by his father after her death, showing how deep those parental wounds have cut him. Still, he is grateful that Aunt Millie and Freddie welcome him into their own family, emphasizing the importance of a reliable community. That Carney orchestrated Dixon’s arrest implies he is responsible for Freddie’s fate as well, even if it was an accidental betrayal.
Themes
The narrative flashes back to early June, when Carney brought Pepper in on his revenge scheme against Duke. Having told a recent accomplice to leave a message at the furniture store, Pepper calls only to get another job offer from Carney. Pepper understands Carney’s desire for revenge, reflecting that the salesman is becoming more like Big Mike. Though Pepper hasn’t orchestrated a job himself in some time, he enjoys it, comparing it to slow-cooking ribs. He follows Duke to learn his schedule, noting how various neighborhoods have changed. Duke eats at expensive restaurants, goes to work and the Dumas Club, and visits Miss Laura twice a week.
Again, the novel reveals Carney’s plot out of order, postponing the moment when the full picture becomes clear. Involving Pepper, like involving Munson, shows that Carney is utilizing every resource and acquaintance he can to get revenge on Duke. As Big Mike’s friend, Pepper’s assessment of Carney is likely accurate, highlighting the increased dominance of his crooked nature. Pepper takes Carney’s job without needing much more detail, displaying that to him, tailing a man for vengeful purposes is, in fact, a reasonable source of income.
Themes
After Pepper’s initial report, Carney instructs him to watch Miss Laura. Pepper finds it odd that Carney doesn’t want him to kill Duke himself. He discovers Miss Laura works for Cheap Brucie, noting that she seems to despise her customers. When he visits the furniture store, Pepper comments on the ease of breaking into Carney’s brand of safe, irritating him. Carney asks him to follow Biz Dixon next, who Pepper knows and dislikes for his hot temper. Though he doesn’t care what Carney wants from Dixon as long as he gets paid, Pepper doesn’t understand how the drug peddler fits into Carney’s revenge scheme.
Carney is a different sort of criminal than Pepper, as evidenced by Pepper’s confusion when Carney does not ask him to kill Duke. Pepper only sees Carney’s revenge plot in pieces, suggesting that Carney is intentionally keeping him in the dark for some reason. His criticism of Carney’s safe not only showcases his safecracking expertise, but also emphasizes Carney’s relative inexperience in securing his newfound wealth.
Themes
Pepper recruits another man, Tommy Lips, to help him avoid detection while tailing Biz Dixon. He notes where the dealer visits for work and pleasure, observing his weekly lunch date with Freddie. Tommy Lips disdains Dixon’s employees, finding the younger men slovenly. Pepper identifies a man named Marco as Dixon’s most competent employee, pushing drugs to White customers. He understands that Dixon and Duke are in the same business, selling different drugs: heroin and influence, respectively. Carney seems comforted that Freddie isn’t working with Dixon and dismisses Pepper from the job. When he returns from another gig that has him travel outside the city, Pepper sees that the police have busted Dixon. Furious, he realizes Carney had him “doing legwork for the cops.”
Like Carney, Pepper understands Duke and Dixon as salesmen, noting that influence and power are sellable products, just the same as heroin. Here again, the novel shows how capitalist enterprise pervades every social class and often takes criminal form, even among the upper classes. Carney’s relief that Freddie is not working for Biz is tinged with guilt for suspecting his cousin in the first place. Knowing that Freddie will be arrested alongside Dixon later in the chronology only amplifies that guilt. That Pepper is angry with Carney for paying him to do police work suggests such work violates his mysterious code of ethics—he seems personally offended that Carney would have him assist a criminal’s number one enemy: the law.
Themes
Get the entire Harlem Shuffle LitChart as a printable PDF.
