The Circle Saw Symbol Analysis

On one level, the circle saw—a piece of equipment at the sawmill where the men in the village work—represents the disposable nature of black lives in the South, as poor men in communities like Eatonville are subject to perilous and precarious physical labor. It is clear that death has been normalized for the men who work at the sawmill because Elijah provides a graphic yet flippant account of Tes’ Miller, who died when “cut to giblets” on the circle saw. In contrast to Tes’ Miller, who is presented as a victim of the circle saw, Elijah positions Spunk Banks as a master of the dangerous machinery. Spunk is fearless at work and is able to work the circle saw when the other men are too “skeered to go near it.” The circle saw, then, also symbolizes strength, power and masculinity because Spunk gains his reputation in the community precisely because of his affinity with the saw. Further, at the very end of the story, Joe’s father, Jeff Kanty, stands over Spunk’s dead body, imagining that “his fingers had been the teeth of steel that laid him low.” Here, Jeff conflates the saw with victory and dominance, enjoying the prospect of yielding as much power as the circle saw, and conquering his enemy. In “Spunk,” the circle saw is evidence of the limitations placed upon black men in poor, rural communities; with few opportunities to explore other lines of work, the men must work at the sawmill, where they are required to be fearless, physically assertive, and unfeeling to the death surrounding them. Hurston reveals how this environment creates callous and controlling men like Spunk Banks, who treat women possessively and challenge male rivals aggressively.