That Evening Sun Summary & Analysis

Quentin points out the changes that have taken place in Jefferson since he was a child. While the “Negro women” used to do the laundry on Mondays, a “city laundry” has now taken over this job. This change is symptomatic of the other modernizations that have taken place in the American South since the early 1900s. By using words like “bloated” and “bloodless,” Quentin suggests that he thinks these changes are negative, and that they have sapped the personality (the “blood”) from the town by replacing the old ways of life in the South.

The fact that “Negro women” still take in “white people’s laundry” suggests that, although black people’s status has improved since Quentin’s childhood, they still often work for white people as servants. The fact that Quentin says that “even the Negro women” have cars suggests that black people are still second-class citizens in Quentin’s mind. Although Quentin praises the black women’s skill in carrying the laundry, his nostalgia for this is synonymous with nostalgia for the old ways of life in the South when black people had very few rights. The bundles of laundry are like “cotton bales,” cotton being one of the main industries built on slavery in the South. This signifies that black people in the South are still suffering the consequences of slavery, many years after its abolition, in terms of how white people view and treat them.

Quentin and his siblings enjoyed the novelty of seeing Nancy carry the laundry on her head. While the white children see laundry day as a game, and Nancy as entertaining, it is hard physical labor for the black servants and not something they would be nostalgic for. Nancy’s “sad” face and “missing teeth” further suggest that her life is hard and that she has been a victim of physical violence.

Nancy’s husband, Jesus, is framed as a menacing figure from this early point in the story. The fact that he never helps Nancy, even when she is taking on extra work, suggests he is a mean, careless husband. The fact that Mr. Compson has banished him from the property suggests that he has caused or been in trouble in some way.

Quentin’s privilege is evident here as he remembers the inconvenience of their regular servant being sick and their having to make do with Nancy. The ditch represents the racial segregation between the two societies in Jefferson: the white part of the town, and the black society in “Negro Hollow.” The fact that the children throw rocks at Nancy’s house, and yet still expect her to serve them, shows that the children have learned to disrespect black people and expect black people to wait on them.

This scene between Nancy and Mr. Stovall implies that Nancy has been working as a prostitute, and that Mr. Stovall has used her services but has failed to pay her. Mr. Stovall responds violently towards Nancy, kicking her in the mouth, in order to silence her. He is afraid that her outburst will expose his actions and damage his reputation as a respectable member of the white community. However, there are no consequences for Mr. Stovall, even when he publicly assaults Nancy. This shows how safe white people were from the law (which generally took their side) compared to black people.

The white community’s lack of sympathy towards Nancy is evident; rather than feel concerned about her, they view her arrest as entertaining gossip. The severity of Nancy’s problems is made clear by the fact that she tries to commit suicide. However, the report from the jailor suggests that the white community trivializes this too and thinks that Nancy tries to kill herself because she is on drugs rather than because she is deeply unhappy. This shows an unwillingness on the part of the white community to address the reasons a black woman may have for being unhappy, such as racism or extreme poverty.

Mr. Compson tells Jesus to stay away from the house, suggesting that Jesus’s aggressive behavior has escalated in some way. Quentin refers to an incident before this takes place, while Nancy is evidently pregnant with someone else’s child, probably as a result of her prostitution. When she says the “watermelon” has not come off Jesus’s “vine” she means it is not Jesus’s child. Jesus implies that he might hurt the man who got Nancy pregnant, saying he can “cut down the vine it did come off of.” Jesus is angry about the hypocrisy in their society, as he feels there is one rule for white men and another for black men. White men can tell black men to get off their property, but black people have no civil rights to defend themselves or their own homes from the actions of white men.

Nancy is clearly avoiding going home, which is why she sits so long in the kitchen after all her work is finished. When Quentin goes to question her, she implies that she is in trouble but that there is nothing she can do about it since “she ain’t nothing but a nigger” and “it ain’t none of her fault.” This suggests that Nancy feels her situation is hopeless and that she can’t do anything to help or protect herself because of her race and lack of rights and power in society.

Quentin demonstrates his privilege and his ability to avoid situations that makes him uncomfortable. He dislikes the atmosphere in the kitchen, which is depressing compared to the “warm, busy, cheerful” atmosphere he thinks a kitchen should have. Although Nancy is a human being, Quentin only views her as something that cooks and cleans and makes the kitchen feel homey. The younger children’s reaction suggests that they are too young to comprehend adult fears but empathize with Nancy on their own level, assuming she is afraid of the same things as them, like the dark. Jason, however, is already learning that in the patriarchal culture of the South, boys are meant to be brave and not admit their fears.

Mrs. Compson trivializes Nancy’s fear, even though if Jesus is outside, Nancy could be in significant danger. Instead of acknowledging this, Mrs. Compson acts as though she and Nancy are in the same amount of danger from Jesus, even though this is clearly not true—Jesus is unlikely to hurt a white woman because the consequences would be so severe, and Nancy is the person he is angry with. In contrast, killing Nancy will have no consequences because she is not protected by the law or civil rights.

The dark lane becomes symbolic of the racial divide in Jefferson. Aunt Rachel clearly is Jesus’s mother, but his violent behavior sometimes makes her ashamed to admit she is related to him. Caddy calls Jason “scairder than niggers” which demonstrates that the children have learned racist stereotypes, such as the idea that black people are cowardly. This stereotype ignored the fact that black people were genuinely afraid for their lives because of racial violence during this period and, instead, suggested that black people were inherently weak. This supported the patriarchal culture of the South, in which macho bravery was considered a virtue while cowardice was considered unmanly and inferior.

Nancy believes that there is nothing she can do to stop Jesus, and that it is her destiny to be murdered by him. Rather than understanding the hopelessness she feels in her vulnerable position as a black woman, Mr. Compson blames Nancy for the situation. He says that she should “let white men alone,” suggesting that Nancy has led white men on by persuading them to use her services as a prostitute; rather than accepting that white men go to her voluntarily. Mr. Compson shows his racial prejudice because he is more willing to believe that a black woman leads white men astray than that white men freely act in ways which society, in this period, would deem immoral.

Mrs. Compson demonstrates that she is willing to put her own convenience (her desire not to be left alone) ahead of Nancy’s physical safety. The fact that they allow Nancy to sleep in the kitchen shows that the Compsons are relatively sympathetic towards their servants, although they do not let Nancy have one of the bedrooms. The sound Nancy makes is associated with the racial divide between black and white characters in the story. The white characters do not understand the sound, and it is portrayed as something alien and strange. The sound expresses Nancy terror of what may happen to her. The fact that the white characters do not understand this shows what a gulf in sympathy there is between the white and black people in Jefferson.

Nancy is most afraid when she is alone and stops making the sound when the children go down to the landing because they provide her with company in the darkness. Although the children are very privileged compared to Nancy, they are in a similar position to her as they cannot physically defend themselves and rely on their father for protection.

Nancy becomes associated with the darkness here as the sound she makes seems to come from nowhere and go nowhere; as though it comes out of the dark. This suggests that Nancy’s life has been overshadowed by the darkness (racism) that haunts Jefferson and that, since she will likely be murdered by Jesus, her whole life and death have been defined by this. Nancy’s death is foreshadowed by the sound “going out like a match.” The image of Nancy’s eyes “printed” on Quentin’s eyeballs suggests that Nancy’s fears haunt Quentin after the events. It is ironic that Nancy is calling for “Jesus,” since Jesus could be either Jesus Christ (who is a sign of salvation in the Christian faith) or Jesus her husband (whom she believes will kill her rather than save her).

Nancy cannot prove that Jesus has come back but senses that he is nearby and that she is in danger. This represents racism in Jefferson, which puts all the black characters in danger and is ever present even though it is never openly articulated. Jason is in the process of learning this racism as he is learning to separate black and white people into different categories. The fact that he keeps asking who is “a nigger” and who is not suggests that he does not understand the reason for the divide and will need it confirmed by the adults around him before it becomes second nature to him. When Nancy replies to Jason, she again associates herself with darkness, nothingness, and lack of salvation, suggesting that her life is meaningless and that nothing can help her. Nancy, like Jason, has learned her place in society because, in the Christian culture of the South, Nancy would be considered sinful because she has been a prostitute.

Nancy says that “no nigger will stop Jesus” because she feels that black people are powerless to stop Jesus’s literal violence, but also against the atmosphere of racial violence that surrounds them. Jesus will not be afraid to hurt other black people because they are not protected by the law like white people are.

Nancy attempts to manipulate the children by reminding them of the time that they played in the bedroom together. Although she has said that “no nigger will stop Jesus,” she feels protected in the presence of the white Compsons, as they have more protection under the law than she has. Mrs. Compson, however, has lost patience with Nancy and says no. Caddy picks up on the fact that Nancy is afraid of her husband and is curious about this. Caddy too is learning the social boundaries of the world she is growing up in. As a girl in a patriarchal culture Caddy is probably aware that she will be married one day, and that she will have fewer rights than her husband. Like Nancy, Caddy may one day be afraid of her husband or be a victim of domestic violence.

Nancy grows increasingly desperate after learning that Mr. and Mrs. Compson have given up on helping her. Again, she tries to manipulate the children, trying to bribe them to come to her house and convincing them not to ask their parents for permission to go. Caddy too is clearly familiar with this type of manipulation as she astutely points out that her parents have not said they could not go. Quentin, who is older, knows that this is not a good excuse to behave in a way that their parents will not like.

Nancy tries to make it sound like Mr. Compson is with them in order to deter Jesus from attacking her. This shows that she does not believe that the children alone will be enough to protect her and suggests that she is putting them in danger by taking them with her. Although this is not an admirable decision on Nancy’s part, she is driven to this by fear and by the negligence of the children’s parents.

The image of the lamp and the wick suggests that Nancy belongs to her environment in “Negro Hollow,” but that the Compson children do not. They are not familiar with the poverty there, signified by Nancy’s “smell,” and it immediately makes them uncomfortable. The “something” besides Nancy that they can smell suggests the adult world, which the children do not understand but that they sense their proximity to and want to escape from.

The idea that part of Nancy is already waiting outside the house suggests that Nancy has already accepted her death as inevitable. The idea that she is waiting for it outside in the darkness associates Nancy with death, which is often talked about in terms of darkness. Nancy tries to keep the children occupied with stories in an attempt to put off her death, even though she considers it inevitable and inescapable.

Nancy, who was able to manipulate the children at first, is now begging them to stay. Jason shows his tyrannical side when he says that he will stay to make popcorn if Caddy cannot hold the popper. Although Jason is very young, this shows that the children are pampered and accustomed to getting their own way. Nancy, meanwhile, is so transported by fear that she is almost literally detached from her body and is unable to feel her hand burning until Caddy points it out.

Nancy gets increasingly desperate as the children grow less enthusiastic about staying. Caddy, who has been the most interested in staying with Nancy and the most curious about Nancy’s situation so far, also begins to lose interest. The popper breaking suggests Nancy’s losing battle to keep the children invested in her situation, which they do not really care about except in a very naïve, superficial way because they are too young to understand.

It is unclear whether the footsteps approaching belong to Jesus or not. It is possible that he is sneaking up on the house, and that he is prepared to hurt the children inside, but that he is deterred by the approach of Mr. Compson. However, the reader could also assume that the footsteps belong to Mr. Compson and that the children are in no real danger.

Nancy loses all hope as soon as Mr. Compson arrives because she knows that he has not come to help her. Although he tries to placate her, telling her that he has checked the ditch and that Jesus is not there, Nancy is convinced that when they leave, she will be “gone.” The use of the word “gone” suggests that she will vanish, returning to the empty darkness that she believes is waiting for her and that her life has been made up of because of her low social status.

The digression about Mr. Lovelady and his wife’s unexpected suicide ties into the idea that uncomfortable ideas go unacknowledged in this society. Rather than openly acknowledging racism in the town, the residents push it under the surface. Similarly, with Mr. Lovelady’s wife, the reason for her suicide is unknown and it is treated as something inexplicable and random, rather than the result of some underlying problem. Although Nancy believes she is damned and that her death will be “dark,” her closing statement suggests that she does believe in Christianity and that her fate is synonymous with what “the Lord” has planned for her. This implies that Nancy feels she is damned on a spiritual level and that salvation is being denied her because she does not deserve it. This suggests that Nancy has internalized the racist ideas about herself and her social status.

Although Nancy is clearly very afraid, so much so that she is paralyzed by fear and simply sits with the door open after they leave, Mr. Compson still trivializes her fear. He dismisses the children’s questions about what will happen to Nancy. Although Quentin does not openly question his father’s judgement, he does check the ditch for himself and acknowledges that he cannot really see if someone is hiding there or not. This suggests that Mr. Compson is willing to overlook potential danger to Nancy rather than inconvenience himself and go out of his way to look for Jesus. The fact that Quentin is aware of this and does not draw attention to it suggests that he too has learned to ignore uncomfortable ideas and become complacent and preoccupied with his own comfort and convenience.

The image of Jason riding on Mr. Compson’s shoulders, like Mr. Compson has “two heads,” suggests that Jason will grow up to be a version of his father. This is supported by the fact that Jason announces that “he is not a nigger,” suggesting that Jason is learning to differentiate himself from black people and learn racist attitudes in the same way that his father has. When Mr. Compson defends Jason from Candace, it suggests that Jason’s status as white man will protect him from criticism in the future, just as Mr. Compson protects Jason from it as a child. Quentin’s question about “who will do the washing,” implies that he believes Nancy will be killed but also that, in his mind, the most significant consequence of this will be that no one will be there to do his washing. This shows his total disregard for Nancy’s wellbeing and connects the end of the story to Quentin’s nostalgic comments about the washer women at the beginning of the story.