The short story "Blood-Burning Moon" is part of Jean Toomer's book Cane, which was first published in 1923. The book is divided into three parts: the first two contain short stories and poetry, while the third part consists of a loosely-structured play that is sometimes considered a short story. All the stories in this first section take place in the rural South, usually with an African-American woman as the focus. For the most part, they take place at dusk and outdoors, often in the cane fields.
"Blood-Burning Moon" is the last story in this part and, interestingly, it is the only one that does not have a woman's name as its title.
"Blood-Burning Moon" is exemplary of Toomer's theme of African-American identity and his setting of rural Southern life during segregation. It tells the story of the conflict between Bob Stone, a white man, and Tom Burwell, an African American, who are rivals for the affection of Louisa, a light-skinned African-American woman. During the course of one evening, each man learns of the other's relationship with Louisa. After Bob challenges Tom to a knife fight in front of Louisa, Tom slashes the throat of the white man. Bob is able to stumble back to the white part of town and tell the town folk who knifed him. A mob of white men immediately lynch Tom by tying him to a stake and burning him.
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