What Is The Meaning Of Spunk By Zora Neale Hurston

In utilizing the supernatural within the short story “Spunk,” specifically the character of Joe returning from the dead as a bobcat, Zora Neale Hurston illustrates the strong desire for equality commonly seen in literature written during the Harlem Renaissance. Firstly, it is important to note that while alive, Joe faces quite a bit of negative treatment, especially at the hands of Spunk. For example, Spunk ends up taking Joe’s wife, Lena, from him, walking around the village as “big as life an’ brassy as tacks” (Hurston 949). At this moment, Spunk is far from ashamed to be seen with another man’s wife, basically portraying Joe as incapable of being a decent husband and standing up for himself and his marriage. In addition to this, Spunk is also the one to kill Joe. Afterwards, Spunk is described as

Bobcats, being wild animals, bring forth a sense of strength and agility, both of which Joe lacked in life. By bestowing these qualities onto Joe through the form of a bobcat, Hurston is displaying that death itself will not prevent one from attempting to achieve equality. Joe now shares the same qualities as Spunk, allowing him to be seen as equal to the man who treated him so poorly in life. Also, similar to how Spunk is described as “skeered of nothin’” (949), the bobcat also displays clear bravery, “[standing] right still an’ [looking Spunk] in the eye, an’ howling right at him” (953). Again, Joe has taken on the qualities Spunk was known for, going as far to even intimidate him. Finally, the bobcat achieves equality with Spunk by killing him. In his final words, Spunk states, “it was Joe..the dirty sneak shoved me” (954). Similar to how Spunk killed Joe with little remorse, the bobcat takes it upon itself to kill Spunk with the same lack of remorse. As Hurston utilizes this bobcat character in place of Joe, she illustrates how equality will inevitably be achieved, whether in life or in