SOURCE: “The Vinculum Factor: ‘Seventh Street’ and ‘Rhobert’ in Jean Toomer's Cane,” in College Language Association Journal, Vol. 31, No. 4, June, 1988, pp. 484-89.

In the following essay, Reckley emphasizes the thematic and stylistic significance of “Seventh Street” and “Rhobert” in Cane.

Whether Cane is considered to be a novel or a montage of poetry and prose, the one thing that cannot be denied is the fact that the two works that begin the second section of the volume, “Seventh Street” and “Rhobert,” are vinculums. They are linchpins for Cane not only because they are structurally transitional devices, but also because they act as conductors and modifiers for the mood, the tone, and the theme that Toomer sets in Part One of his book. While “Seventh Street” appears to be retrospective in nature, it contrasts sharply with Part One, and it anticipates Part Two. “Rhobert” immediately emphasizes the tone and...