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English Courses / English 102: American Literature Course
SPUNK BY ZORA NEALE HURSTON | SUMMARY, ANALYSIS & THEMES
* Lesson
* Transcript
Emily Rogers, Danielle Washington
* Author
Emily Rogers
Emily Rogers has taught information evaluation and research skills as a
school librarian for over seven years. She has a bachelor’s degree in English
and French from Sewanee: The University of the South and a master’s degree in
library and information science from Louisiana State University.
View bio
* Instructor
Danielle Washington
Danielle is a certified educator with more than 14 years of experience, which
includes serving as a K-8 Principal and Asst. Principal, as well as an
English Language Arts teacher. She holds an education specialist degree in
curriculum, instruction, and professional development.
View bio
Learn about the story "Spunk" by Zora Neale Hurston. Read a summary of the short
story, find its in-depth analysis, and discover its themes and literary
elements. Updated: 11/21/2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
* Spunk by Zora Neale Hurston
* Spunk Summary
* Analysis of the story Spunk
* Themes in the story Spunk
* Lesson Summary
Show
Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE STORY SPUNK?
The story "Spunk" is about Spunk Banks and Joe Kanty's struggle to show their
dominance in their community. Spunk wants Joe's wife, Lena, and he feels like it
is within his rights to take her away from Joe. The men in town believe that Joe
should retrieve his wife from Spunk and he tries to do it, resulting in his
death.
WHAT ARE THE THEMES OF SPUNK?
"Spunk" by Zora Neale Hurston deals with themes such as power, masculinity,
misogyny, justice, and fear. It examines how a person like Spunk can go from
being powerful and masculine to being wracked with fear because of a guilty
conscience.
WHO CAUSES THE DEATH OF JOE IN THE SHORT STORY SPUNK?
In the short story, "Spunk" Elijah encourages Joe to fight Spunk in order to get
his wife back. When Joe attacks Spunk with a razor, Spunk shoots and kills Joe.
WHAT DOES THE BOBCAT SYMBOLIZE IN SPUNK?
Spunk believes that the bobcat is Joe's ghost warning him against marrying Lena.
It represents Spunk's guilt over stealing another man's wife and killing him.
WHAT IS THE MAIN CONFLICT IN SPUNK?
The main conflict in "Spunk" is between Spunk Banks and Joe Kanty. Spunk is
having an affair with Joe's wife, Lena, and Joe wants to get her back.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
* Spunk by Zora Neale Hurston
* Spunk Summary
* Analysis of the story Spunk
* Themes in the story Spunk
* Lesson Summary
Show
SPUNK BY ZORA NEALE HURSTON
"Spunk", Zora Neale Hurston's prize-winning short story, was published in the
literary monthly, Opportunity, in 1925. At the time of publication, Hurston was
a cash-strapped, part-time college student at Howard University; but her luck
began to change when "Spunk" won second prize in the short story category in
Opportunity's literary contest. At the awards banquet, Hurston received a cash
prize, a scholarship to Barnard, and she met well-known author Fannie Hurst, who
became her patron.
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* 0:02 'Spunk' Plot Overview
* 0:55 Joe Confronts Spunk
* 2:02 Strange Occurences
* 3:06 Analysis of Literary Elements
* 3:55 Major Themes
* 5:10 Lesson Summary
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SPUNK SUMMARY
Hurston's short story, "Spunk," unfolds in four parts.
"SPUNK": PART I
Spunk Banks and Lena Kanty are seen walking into the woods together, which
causes a stir amongst the men who are chatting in the general store. The men are
shocked, but not surprised, that Spunk has the gumption to walk into the woods
with Lena. Spunk is a fearless man who gets what he wants. The men grow quiet as
Joe Kanty enters the store. In an effort to get a rise out of the men, Elijah
asks Joe, "How's 'yo wife?". Walter scolds Elijah for chiding Joe, but Elijah
tells Joe that they saw Lena walking into the woods.
Dejectedly, Joe tells the men that he is going to get Lena back from Spunk and
produces a small razor from his pocket. The men congratulate him, and he leaves.
At the general store, the men speculate about what will happen if Joe goes after
Lena. Some think Spunk will kill Joe, and others say that Joe is not going to go
into the woods at all.
Elijah recounts that Joe found Lena and Spunk together last week. He believes
that it was unmanly that Joe was not able to take Lena back. Walter blames Spunk
saying, "Ah like him fine but 'tain't right the way he carries on wid Lena
Kanty, jus' cause Joe's timid 'bout fightin' ." Elijah disagrees. He believes
that Spunk has no issue with Joe; instead, he thinks Spunk wants Lena and that
he gets what he wants no matter what.
According to Elijah, with Joe present, Spunk told Lena that she belonged to him
now and that she should pack her bags. Lena refused to leave her house because
the house was given to her by her father. Spunk told her that she could stay in
the house but that she should not forget that she is his now. Lena looked at
Spunk in such a loving way which caused Joe to feel powerless. Joe did nothing
and watched her leave with Spunk.
The men cannot believe that Joe watched Lena leave so passively. They remark on
the fact that women do not want a man who fails to fight for them.
"SPUNK: PART II
The men hear a shot fired and Spunk and Lena walk out of the woods and into the
store. Lena is crying. Spunk tells the men that Joe attacked him from behind
with the razor and that he had to shoot him.
Spunk shows the men where Joe's body is in the woods. When they see Joe with the
razor still in his hand, "the men glared at Elijah, accusingly." Spunk casually
tells them to bury Joe and leaves to comfort Lena. The men talk about putting
Spunk in jail until the Sheriff can come, but no one does it. There is a short
trial, and Spunk is found innocent because he killed Joe in self-defense. He
goes back to his regular life and continues to live with Lena.
"SPUNK": PART III
Elijah announces to Walter that Spunk is going to marry Lena. Walter is
surprised to hear the news. Elijah reports that Spunk has already moved Lena and
all of her belongings to a new house, but that the first night they were there,
a black bobcat circled the house, howling. When Spunk went outside to shoot it,
the bobcat looked him in the eye, and Spunk could not do it. Spunk thought the
bobcat was Joe coming back to haunt him.
Walter tells the men that the black bobcat that Spunk saw had to have been Joe
because no one has ever seen a black bobcat before.
Walter says that Spunk deserves to be nervous and that Joe was braver than Spunk
when he attacked him. The other men in the store disagree with Walter, but
Walter doubles down and says that it is was brave of Joe to go after Spunk with
a razor when he knew that Spunk carried a gun.
One of the men reports that Spunk thought something was wrong with his circular
saw at work, but when the foreman checked it, nothing was wrong with it. Then he
accused someone of pushing him when no one else was around.
"SPUNK": PART IV
The next evening the men gather to discuss Spunk's death. Elijah reports that
while loading lumber into a wagon at work, he saw Spunk fall on the saw. When he
and another man pulled Spunk off the saw, it was too late. Spunk shouted, "He
pushed me, 'Lige- the dirty hound pushed me in the back!". As he died, he told
Elijah that Joe killed him and vowed to get back at him in hell.
Spunk is killed by a circular saw. He believes that Joe pushed him to his death.
Everyone in the town goes to Spunk's wake, where Lena is crying hysterically.
Spunk is laid out on boards atop sawhorses with a dingy sheet covering him. The
story ends with the men and women speculating about who Lena will end up with
next.
ANALYSIS OF THE STORY SPUNK
While "Spunk" is a story about adultery and revenge, it is just as much a story
about a community. All of the action in "Spunk" is told second-hand at the
store:
* Elijah recounts the story of Joe helplessly watching as Spunk usurps his
place with Lena.
* Spunk tells the men about how Joe cut him and he shot Joe.
* Elijah explains what happened with Spunk and the black bobcat.
* An unnamed man tells the men that Spunk thought something was wrong with his
saw.
* Elijah relates the story of Spunk's death.
Like the men in the store, the reader does not witness any of the actions
firsthand. So the story becomes two-fold. First, it is the story of Spunk
stealing Joe's wife, Joe attacking Spunk, Spunk killing Joe, Joe haunting Spunk,
and Joe killing Spunk from beyond the grave. Second, the story is of how a town
processes a scandal. Elijah is the voice of chaos in the store, while Walter is
the voice of reason.
SYMBOLISM IN SPUNK
In "Spunk," Zora Neale Hurston's use of symbols imparts a deeper meaning to the
short story. The following are symbols found in "Spunk":
RAZOR- JOE KANTY'S MEAGER RAZOR SYMBOLIZES HIS WEAKNESS. JOE KNOWS THAT SPUNK
HAS A GUN, JUST LIKE HE KNOWS THAT SPUNK HAS CAPTURED HIS WIFE'S HEART. JOE IS
NO MATCH FOR SPUNK, JUST AS HIS RAZOR IS NO MATCH FOR SPUNK'S GUN.
BLACK BOBCAT- THOUGH SMALL IN SIZE, BOBCATS ARE KEEN HUNTERS. IT IS NO WONDER
THAT SPUNK BELIEVES THE BLACK BOBCAT IS JOE, HUNTING HIM FROM THE GRAVE. THE
BOBCAT REPRESENTS SPUNK'S OWN CONSCIENCE. SPUNK KNOWS THAT HE DID THE WRONG
THING, AND HIS GUILT TORTURES HIM INTO BELIEVING JOE HIMSELF IS SEEKING REVENGE.
CIRCULAR SAW- AT THE BEGINNING OF "SPUNK," ELIJAH BOASTS ABOUT SPUNK'S BRAVERY
AROUND THE CIRCULAR SAW AT THE SAWMILL. HE LIKENS HIS BRAVADO AT THE MILL TO HIS
BRAVADO AT TAKING ANOTHER MAN'S WIFE. HOWEVER, THE SAWMILL BECOMES A SYMBOL OF
JOE'S REVENGE. LIKE JOE'S RAZOR, THE SAWMILL IS MADE OF SHARP METAL. THE
CIRCULAR MOTION OF THE SAW ALSO BRINGS TO MIND THE CYCLICAL NATURE OF REVENGE.
MAGNOLIAS- THE MAGNOLIAS THAT LENA HAS DECORATED THE HOUSE WITH FOR SPUNK'S WAKE
ARE SYMBOLIC OF LENA. THOUGH THE TOWN GOSSIPS AT LENGTH ABOUT THE SITUATION
BETWEEN JOE AND SPUNK, NO ONE SEEMS TO FAULT LENA FOR COMMITTING ADULTERY. LIKE
THE WHITE, SWEET-SMELLING MAGNOLIAS, LENA'S REPUTATION SEEMS UNSULLIED BY THE
TWO MEN LEFT DEAD IN HER WAKE.
POINT OF VIEW IN SPUNK
"Spunk" is told from a third person omniscient point of view. The narrator is
not a character in the story; however, the narrator does have insight into the
minds of some of the characters. An example can be found in Part I when Elijah
asks Joe about how his wife is doing. The narrator says, "Now Joe knew his wife
had passed that way. He knew that the men lounging in the general store had seen
her; moreover, he knew that the men knew he knew." This style of narration
allows the reader to know more about what a variety of characters are thinking.
THEMES IN THE STORY SPUNK
Zora Neale Hurston takes on a number of themes in the short story "Spunk." The
following are examples of some of the themes found in the short story.
POWER AND MASCULINITY IN SPUNK
There is a general sense among the men that Joe Kanty does not behave in a
masculine or powerful enough way in trying to win back his wife. Elijah says,
"Tain't even decent for a man to take and take like he do." There is a debate
amongst the men at the store as to whether or not Joe Kanty is manly enough to
confront Spunk in the woods. Many of the men believe that Joe will give up on
Lena and will go home. When they find out that he did confront Spunk, only to be
shot dead, the men blame Elijah for inciting the altercation. They know that Joe
is no match for Spunk in terms of power.
On the other hand, Spunk is so self-assured about his own power that he seems
undaunted at the fact that he killed Joe. The men see Spunk as supremely
masculine because he is fearless. All of this changes when Spunk encounters the
black bobcat. His robust masculinity seems to fade along with his power until he
dies powerlessly.
WOMEN AND MISOGYNY IN SPUNK
In "Spunk," Lena is little more than a prize to the men in the store. When
Walter says that he does not agree with the way Spunk has taken up with Lena,
Elijah says that Spunk wants Lena and that "he'd go after anything he wanted the
same way." Lena is reduced to a "thing" that Spunk wants.
The story, according to Elijah, is that Spunk told Joe: "Call her and see if
she'll come. A woman knows her boss an' she answers when he calls," making Lena
seem like a dog. To his credit, Joe does not call Lena; instead, he asks her,
"Lena, ain't I yo' husband?" According to Elijah, Lena is disgusted by Joe's
question. This begs the question as to whether or not Elijah is a reliable
narrator. Throughout the story, Elijah says misogynistic things, and it is
possible that he imagines that Lena would be disgusted by a man treating her
like a person and asking her a question in an appropriate manner.
LEGAL JUSTICE VS. MORAL JUSTICE IN SPUNK
The townspeople consider locking Spunk up in jail until the sheriff can
investigate Joe's shooting, but no one does anything about it. They are hesitant
to cast blame on Spunk because he is so assured of his own innocence. When he is
tried, his plea of self-defense is rewarded with a not-guilty verdict. Though
the legal system finds him to be innocent, it is clear that he is morally
guilty. There is little chance that Spunk could not have overpowered Joe without
lethal force. Spunk's own lack of guilt seems to bode poorly for his rash
decision to shoot Joe.
FEAR IN SPUNK
At the beginning of the story, there is a clear delineation between the fearless
Spunk and the fearful Joe. However, Spunk's fearlessness begins to wane when he
moves in with Lena. Spunk had no problem shooting a man, but he could not kill
the bobcat. Robbed of his bravery, Spunk begins to fear the circular saw as
well. His fear of the saw seems to make him unsteady enough that the saw kills
him.
LESSON SUMMARY
Zora Neale Hurston's short story "Spunk" was published in 1925. Told from a
third person omniscient point of view, the story is about a man named Spunk
Banks who has an affair with a married woman named Lena Kanty. After speaking
with Elijah at the general store, Lena's husband, Joe Kanty, gets the courage to
confront Spunk about seeing his wife. Armed with a razor, he goes into the
woods, where Spunk shoots and kills him. Spunk argues that he shot Joe in
self-defense and is found to be innocent. Spunk decides to marry Lena, but the
first night that they spend in their new house, a black bobcat encircles the
house and howls. Spunk believes Joe has come back from the dead because he does
not want him to marry Lena. Eventually, Spunk's fear of Joe's ghost creeps
deeper into Spunk's life until he falls on the circular saw at the sawmill and
dies. "Spunk" deals with themes such as power, masculinity, misogyny, justice,
and fear.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
SPUNK PLOT OVERVIEW
Zora Neale Hurston's short story opens by giving us a physical description of
Spunk, the story's main character. He is described as a 'giant of a
brown-skinned man.' As the story begins, Spunk is walking down the street with a
beautiful woman on his arm. Sounds pretty romantic, right? The only problem is
that the woman on his arm happens to be someone else's wife!
This is a pretty bold move, but Spunk isn't the kind of guy who is afraid of
anyone or anything. We learn this from the dialogue between the men in the town,
who happen to be gathered at the general store as Spunk passes by with his
married companion, Lena.
The men describe Spunk as being a fearless man who takes whatever he wants from
whomever he wants. One of his coworkers describes how Spunk bravely took over
and operated a circle-saw at the sawmill right after another worker was killed
by the saw.
JOE CONFRONTS SPUNK
In the midst of their conversation, Lena's husband Joe enters the store. Joe is
the exact opposite of Spunk: a cowardly, anxious man who does not stand up for
himself. Even though Joe is fully aware that his wife is having an affair with
Spunk, he is too afraid to confront either of them. The men in the store know
this as well, and they decide to toy with Joe.
One man in particular, Elijah, makes it a point to tell Joe that Lena has just
passed the store with Spunk. Joe reveals that he has a plan to get Lena back,
and pulls a razor blade out of his pocket. Elijah eggs him on, encouraging him
to defend his family. Joe leaves the store in search of Spunk and Lena.
The men continue to gossip about Spunk, Lena, and Joe when they suddenly hear a
gunshot in the distance. Soon after, Spunk casually comes in with a frightened
Lena by his side and explains that he had to kill Joe. He tells the men how Joe
tried to attack him from behind with the razor. All the men give Elijah an
accusatory stare, because they know that his words were what encouraged Joe to
attack.
STRANGE OCCURENCES
Spunk eventually goes to trial and is let off on self-defense. He returns to his
normal life, and to his lover, Lena. The two move in together, and plan to
marry. Strange things begin to happen, though. Spunk sees a black bobcat
circling his house and howling one night. When he gets his gun to shoot the
bobcat, it stands up and stares him right in the eye. Frightened, Spunk cannot
shoot the animal, and is convinced that it is Joe coming back from hell to stop
the wedding.
Things get stranger when Spunk has a freak accident at the sawmill. He is
usually an expert at operating the machinery. Since his encounter with the
bobcat, however, he has been filled with fear, and trembles while operating the
machinery. One day Spunk falls on his saw, and is fatally cut. He claims he felt
a push on his back, and through his last dying breaths, he swears that Joe was
the one who pushed him.
The story ends with the people of the town gathered for Spunk's funeral. As Lena
grieves, they all secretly wonder who her next man will be.
ANALYSIS OF LITERARY ELEMENTS
'Spunk' is told through the eyes of a third-person omniscient narrator. This
means that the narrator was not directly involved in the action of the story,
but knows and reports to us what the characters do, say, think, and feel. We
largely rely on the conversation of the men throughout the story to understand
what is going on. For example, it is through the men's initial conversation at
the beginning of the story that we learn all about Spunk: 'But that's one thing
Ah likes about Spunk Banks--he ain't skeered of nothin' on God's green
footstool--nothin!'
Hurston uses a very unique style when writing the characters' dialogue. The
story takes place in a rural black town in the South. To reflect this, Hurston
uses colloquial English to demonstrate the dialect typically used by people of
this time period and place. This style helps the characters come to life and
adds texture to the writing.
MAJOR THEMES
Manhood is a major theme of this short story. Throughout the story, Spunk and
Joe are compared and contrasted. Spunk represents the stereotypical view of what
men are supposed to be. He's strong, confident, and fearless, and as a result,
he wins Lena's affections. Joe's actions, his body language, and obvious fear of
Spunk paint him as less of a man. The men in the store describe this as the
reason Lena does not want to be with Joe: 'Spunk took Lena's arm and walked off
jus' like nothin' ain't happened and he stood there gazin' after them till they
was outa sight. Now you know a woman don't want no man like that.'
Fear is another major theme in this story, and it shifts among the three main
characters. At the beginning of the story, it is Joe who is afraid of Spunk, but
he finally gathers the nerve to confront him. Sadly, this decision costs him his
life. After witnessing her husband's death, Lena becomes afraid and is visibly
shaken and crying when she and Spunk go to the store to report it. Finally, the
fear shifts to Spunk. Once he gets the idea that Joe has come back from hell to
stop him from marrying Lena, he becomes so afraid that it eventually leads to
the accident that causes his death.
LESSON SUMMARY
'Spunk' tells the story of three characters caught in a deadly love triangle.
Spunk is a fearless, arrogant man who is openly seeing Joe's wife, Lena. When
Joe gathers his nerve to confront Spunk, he is shot and killed. After Spunk
decides to marry Lena, he is visited by a black bobcat that he believes to be
Joe. He becomes so afraid that he develops a tremble. This leads to a deadly
cutting accident at the sawmill. As Spunk is dying, he tells those around him
that it was Joe who caused the accident. Hurston uses literary elements such as
a third-person omniscient point of view and character dialogue rich in local
dialect to help us understand the story's major themes of manhood and fear.
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English 102: American Literature
13 chapters | 135 lessons | 11 flashcard sets
Ch 1. Introduction to American Literature
* Mandatory Reading List for English 102: American Literature
Ch 2. Analyzing American Literature
Ch 3. Colonial and Early National Period in...
Ch 4. Romantic Period in Literature
Ch 5. Dark Romantics
Ch 6. Transcendentalism in Literature
Ch 7. Realism in Literature
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Ch 12. Required Assignments for English...
Ch 13. Studying for English 102
SPUNK BY ZORA NEALE HURSTON | SUMMARY, ANALYSIS & THEMES RELATED STUDY MATERIALS
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