Devil In A Blue Dress

The attraction of money recurs as a motif that drives the plot forward while reinforcing the elusiveness of the American Dream of prosperity. Easy thinks about “money and how much I needed to have some” before accepting Albright’s job offer (12). Joppy describes Albright, meanwhile, as someone seeks money regardless of whether it “got a little smudge or sumpin’ on it” (8). Easy later admits to taking “blood money” from Mouse after Mouse killed Reese, but he regrets doing so and adopts a higher standard in the present, rejecting an offered payout by Teran. In less morally compromising situations, however, Easy proves savvy at taking money from others such as Carter and Albright, even when he doesn’t plan on exclusively serving their interests. So powerful is money that Easy compares it to God and entertains the notion that “if I got enough money then maybe I could buy my own life back” (123). Of Mouse, Easy notes that he cares for money more than he does for his wife, and he acknowledges that Mouse would readily kill him for a large enough sum. Contrasted with these characters is Carter, who has so much money that he is uninterested in recovering the $30,000 Daphne took from him. Overall, Mosley reveals money as a root motivator in capitalist society, as well as a sign of inequality.

Mosley frequently positions animals as symbolic markers. While Easy considers why he stays in LA, he spots a jay bird on the fence behind his house, both afraid of and fascinated by a dog, “mesmerized by the spectacle there” (47), just as Easy cannot bring himself to leave LA. Later, when he is kept in an interrogation room at the police station, Easy notices a trail of ants eating the corpse of a mouse in the corner. Easy speculates that the mouse was killed by a previous prisoner and imagines himself crushing a mouselike Mason. Mouse, the character, by contrast, commits animalistic violence despite being small and rodentlike in appearance.

Daphne is associated with various animals. On one occasion, Easy dreams of catching a catfish and is just reeling it in when Daphne calls him; moments later, he admits to “missing my catfish more and more” (89), which is suggestive of the way that Easy’s dream of love with Daphne slips away. Easy also compares her to a chameleon for the way she changes by circumstance. Daphne’s imagined visit to the zoo also has poetic undertones, with Daphne identifying variously with caged apes, relatively free birds, and zebras, which are both black and white. Here and elsewhere, Mosley’s use of animals as symbols speaks both to the ways that his characters are demeaned and dehumanized by others, as well as their resourcefulness and aspirations.

Throughout the novel, Easy hears a voice in his head, which combines a no-nonsense, objective tone with strategic intent, as when it scolds him, “Don’t ask no questions. Either somethin’ is or it ain’t. ‘What if’ is fo’ chirren, Easy. You’s a man” (99). Notably, the voice uses the vernacular of Easy’s childhood, not the English he was taught in school. He first noticed the voice during WWII, when it helped him to survive a dangerous situation. It first appears in the novel in Chapter 3, as it tells him to accept Albright’s offer in order to secure his next mortgage payment, and it continues to guide him as he eventually moves away from Albright’s oversight. On at least one occasion, the voice also passes judgment on others, as when it deems Junior “ain’t worf living” (171). Taken together as a motif, the voice dramatizes Easy’s internal dialogue, revealing the process by which he decides when violence or other drastic actions are necessary.

When Easy sees Frank at John’s place, he notes Frank’s dark clothing as a sign Frank “was about to go out to work—hijacking or worse” (31). Albright’s figure, by contrast, is pale all over except for his gun, showing the contradiction between the mild tones and his violent behavior. Mouse, meanwhile, prides himself on keeping his clothes clean even in the most violent situations. Indeed, the cleanliness of his attire helps him avoid conviction following his murder of his stepfather while serving as a physical manifestation Mouse’s lack of guilt. Later, Mouse’s coat is temporarily stained only when Easy’s intervention helps Frank to escape, leading Mouse to ask, “Look at the blood you got on my coat, Easy! Why you wanna go and do that?” (154). The implication is that Easy and Mouse are both diverted from the purity of their individual approaches when they team up, as Easy lets Frank escape while Mouse commits violence beyond what Easy considers necessary. Also of note is Daphne’s “blue dress” referenced in the novel’s title, which she wears the first and last times he sees her, and which Easy describes to Carter upon request. While these and other references to clothing throughout the text serve various thematic purposes, together they hint at the way identity is shaped and presented through clothing and other visual signals.