The Conjure Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem

“‘How’d he get into a racket like fortune telling?’

‘Ask me another. Probably a better racket than medicine in this community. A really clever chap could do wonders.’”

This set of quotes demonstrates and introduces the theme of Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition by showing Dart and Dr. Archer’s confusion over Frimbo’s choice to become a fortune teller. Dr. Archer suggests that Frimbo must have entered the profession for money because it is the only reason he can see an educated, intelligent man doing so. This reveals cultural stereotypes about spiritual workers, which Frimbo subverts in later chapters.

“‘Soon as Jinx here called me,’ he said, ‘I knowed somebody’s time had come. I busted on in that room yonder with him—y’all seen me go—and sho’ ‘nough, there was a man, limp as a rag and stiff as a board. Y’see, the moon don’t lie. ‘Cose most signs ain’t no ‘count. As for me, you won’t find nobody black as me that’s less suprastitious.’”

This quote uses Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition to establish Bubber’s obsession with moon signs omens despite being a mostly practical man. Over the course of the novel, Bubber begins to believe that the moon sign’s predictions are coming true and that he must be careful. Though the novel gives most of the strange incidents in the story scientific, rational explanations, the moon signs are implied to be accurate.

“‘A human skull!’ repeated Bubber. ‘Yes, ma’am. Blottin’ out the moon. You know what that is?’

‘What?’ said the older woman

‘That’s death on the moon. It’s a moonsign and it’s never been known to fail.’

‘And it means death?’

‘Worse ‘n that, ma’am. It means three deaths. Whoever see death on the moon’—he paused, drew breath, and went on in an impressive lower tone—‘gonna see death three times!’”

The passage uses Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition to indicate that Bubber’s belief in the moon sign and his apprehension about the death moon are superstitious. However, it also foreshadows Bubber witnessing the second death when he sees a man shoot another man, as well as him witnessing Frimbo’s death the following day. This use of foreshadowing implies that the moon signs could be accurate predictions, presenting a more nuanced idea of mysticism rather than dismissing it outright.

“In the present instance he was too suddenly and wholly absorbed in what he saw to entertain even the slightest or most innocent pretence.

‘Sex glands,’ he said.

‘What?’

‘Male sex glands, apparently.’”

This passage, in which Dr. Archer finds a jar of human testicles in Frimbo’s laboratory, foreshadows the revelation of the “rite of the gonad” that Frimbo’s tribe practices. Therefore, it emphasizes The Concealment of One’s Self and Intentions as Frimbo’s secrets about Buwongo come out during the investigation.

“I figger I been takin’ it to the Lord in prayer long enough. Now I’m goin’ take it to the devil.”

This quote supports the theme of Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition by showing Amarintha Snead’s devout faith. Her belief in the supernatural leads her to believe her friend when she says that Frimbo saved her son’s life. She hopes that Frimbo will be able to stop her husband’s abuse and is willing to consult with a man whom she believes is consulting evil forces to do so. Either aspect of the supernatural—good or evil—seems more effective to her than pursuing a so-called rational approach.

“We can make the dark ones bright and the bright ones lighter—that seems to be the ambition in the community. We can fatten thin ones and reduce fat ones. I venture to say that, by the simplest imaginable changes, I could make Doc Archer there look quite unrecognizable.”

This quote presents The Concealment of One’s Self and Intentions, foreshadowing Crouch’s use of his face-changing skills on himself. He hides his true face and intentions to get revenge on Frimbo for having an affair with his wife, and he is only concerned with getting caught. He discusses this shortly after lying to Detective Dart, almost confessing to concealing his true nature.

“I’ll be standin’ on the corner high

When they drag your body by—

I’ll be glad when you’re dead, you rascal you.”

This quote uses the “I’ll Be Glad When You’re Dead, You Rascal You” song motif to show the killer’s thoughts about wanting Frimbo dead. It helps foreshadow Samuel Crouch’s revelation as the killer, especially since these lyrics imply that the killer avoids detection, and Dart has just dismissed Crouch as a suspect. However, it also reflects Doty Hicks’s desire to kill Frimbo. Though he didn’t murder him, he admits to wanting him dead and trying to kill him with conjure magic.

“All I can tell you is that they’s only one way to kill a conjure-man—you got to out-conjure him. You got to put a back-conjure on him, and it’s got to be stronger ‘n the one he put on the other feller. ‘Cose you can’t do it alone. Got to have help.”

This quote shows Doty’s desire to kill Frimbo and highlights Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition, as Doty believes that Frimbo’s magical powers can only be defeated by other magic. Since he admits to wanting Frimbo dead and trying to kill him, he is arrested. This quote also creates mystery and suspense because Doty does not reveal his accomplice; another suspect is at large.

“You are under the impression that I have put an evil spell upon your brother. That is superstitious nonsense. I am no caster of spells. I am a psychist—a kind of psychologist. I have done nothing to your brother. He simply has pulmonary tuberculosis—in the third stage. He had had it for at least three months when your sister-in-law came to me for advice.”

This quote supports Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition by showing Frimbo’s truly scientific mind. He knows that Doty is superstitious and tries to reason with him using scientific knowledge. Doty, however, does not believe him and still thinks that he is using magic to hurt his brother. This leads him to try to kill Frimbo, representing the danger of harboring stereotypes about spiritual workers.

“Yea. He had a system of playing the game that couldn’t lose.”

This quote highlights Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition by making Frimbo’s method of success at gambling ambiguous. The quote also introduces new suspects: Spider’s boss, Si Brandon, and his rival, Spencer. This raises the stakes since these men are powerful and dangerous. The quote also foreshadows the revelation that Frimbo did create a formula to make him successful at number playing, though Si Brandon and Spencer’s involvement is a red herring.

“‘But they said—they said you were dead—’

‘They were correct,’ affirmed Frimbo, without emotion.”

This passage uses ambiguity to hide the reason Frimbo has returned and addresses the possibility that he came back to life through the power of his mind. Fisher plays with Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition by doing this and leaves Dart and Dr. Archer to wonder how he is alive when they saw what they thought was his corpse.

“You are working on a common fallacy, my friend. You are making the assumption that any creature who is alive could not have been dead. This is pure assumption. If a body which has presented all the aspects of death, resumes the functions of life, we explain the whole thing away merely by saying, ‘He was not dead.’ We thus repudiate all our own criteria of death, you see. I cannot think in this self-contradictory fashion. Physically, I was dead by all the standards accepted throughout the years as evidence of death.”

In this passage, Frimbo appeals to science and logic to argue that he could still have been dead and also now be alive again. This quote uses Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition to argue for revival after death from a scientific approach. This is meant to create ambiguity as to whether he was truly dead or not. It also blurs the lines between science and spirituality, emphasizing the idea that one cannot simply trust their perception in this mystery.

“Death on the moon, boy. First one las’ night, second one today—not ten minutes ago—‘round on 132nd Street. Two boogies got in a li’l argument over a gal, and first you know—bong—bong! There was one of ‘em stretched out dead on the ground and me lookin’ at him.”

This quote uses Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition to imply that Bubber’s superstition about moon signs is actually true. He witnesses two deaths and reaches the conclusion that the moon sign is real. Though this is not confirmed, it is implied that the moon signs could be right, subverting the idea that science is inherently more powerful than superstition. The passage also foreshadows the third death that Bubber witnesses: Frimbo’s.

“But there are many ways in which one man’s blood differs from another’s.”

The quote supports the theme of The Concealment of One’s Self and Intentions by showing the lengths to which Frimbo has gone to conceal his secret mission of finding N’Ogo’s killer. Dr. Archer realizes that his blood has small differences from the corpse’s blood, causing the blood cells to clump together in his serum. In this section, blood symbolizes the inability to completely hide the truth, no matter how hard one tries.

“Pure faith in anything is mysticism. Our very faith in reason is a kind of mysticism.”

The quote uses Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition by challenging the relationship Dr. Archer has with science and spirituality. In this quote, Frimbo rejects the strict binary between the two and insists that they are not mutually exclusive. He argues that blind faith in science is exactly the same as religion because it relies on feelings rather than proof in every instance. Their interconnectedness, in Frimbo’s belief, makes it possible to connect the mental and physical energies. One must only be open to exploring it.

“If drama is struggle, my friend, your life is a perfect play.”

Frimbo uses metaphor to express his belief that Dr. Archer’s life is not less stressful or interesting just because he has had different experiences than Frimbo. He argues that both of them have had struggles as Black men, and Dr. Archer’s struggles have been important enough to shape his life and growth into the doctor he is now.

“‘I know,’ said the other in an almost inaudible voice, ‘that it is possible to escape this order and assume another.’”

This quote highlights Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition by exploring the interconnectedness of the two sides. Frimbo holds an almost transcendentalist idea that his blend of scientific and mystical knowledge has allowed him to control his past and fate, freeing him from the main determinist order of the world, which argues that humans have no control over their circumstances.

“Do not ask me how. That is my secret.”

The quote emphasizes The Concealment of One’s Self and Intentions by showing Frimbo’s refusal to share one of his greatest Buwongo secrets with Dr. Archer. Even though he trusts him and sees him as an intellectual equal, he believes that he must keep the secret to protect his tribe.

“The king is prohibited by tribal law from unnecessarily endangering the tribal secrets residing in his person. My servant knew of certain dangers to which I was exposed here. I had devised a mathematical formula whereby I was able to predict a certain probability in the popular policy game of this community. My part in the dwindling fortunes of one of the so-called bankers was discovered through the disloyalty of a disgruntled underling in the rival camp which my information was aiding. The loser intended to eliminate me.”

This quote shows The Concealment of One’s Self and Intentions by revealing why Frimbo kept his plans with N’Ogo a secret from the police. He believed that N’Ogo was the only one he could trust as his servant. The quote also incorporates Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition by revealing that Frimbo used science, namely mathematics, to become such a successful numbers player.

“There was a device of mine enabled me to convince the visitor, now seated in that chair opposite, that it was really I who sat there. This light over my head is far more than a light. It is also a mechanism whereby I can see the illuminated face of whoever occupies that chair, and whereby also I can transmit my voice to this point.”

This quote uses Science and Rationality Versus Mysticism and Superstition to show that Frimbo used science to create the mystical effect he uses when meeting his clients. The quote also incorporates the light of his clients’ faces as a symbol for the revelation of his clients’ true lives and thoughts, which Frimbo is able to divine.

“So it’s really you this time, Frimbo? Why weren’t you careful what you touched?”

The quote supports the theme of Jealousy as a Motive to Commit Murder by displaying Samuel Crouch asking Frimbo why he chose to be with Martha even though she was married. This leads to him murdering Frimbo and being revealed as the killer. It also confirms the fact that Frimbo and Martha had an affair.

“Low words came from between her clenched teeth as her hands tore at his face.

‘You—killed—the only man—’

They managed after a moment to pull her away. What shocked her, however, out of that moment of mania into a sudden stupor of immobility was not the firm grasp of friendly hands but the realization that in her tightly closed fingers was a wig of kinky black hair, and that the sleek, black scalp of the man before her, despite the freckles which so well disguised his complexion, was that of her husband, the undertaker, Samuel Crouch.”

In this climactic moment, Martha attacks the man pretending to be Easley Jones because he killed her true love. He turns out to be her husband in disguise, presenting an unexpected killer, a detective genre trope. It also confirms that Martha was in love with Frimbo, and Samuel Crouch killed him out of jealousy.

“If it hadn’t been you, ‘twould ‘a’ been somebody else. He jes’ didn’t mean to lose his wife and his life both. Couldn’t blame him for that. Jes’ ordinary common sense.”

Though Jinx feels attacked. Because Crouch framed him for the murder, Bubber points out that Crouch would have pinned it on anyone who happened to be there. Crouch’s motive was killing Frimbo, and he was willing to harm others to get away with it. Despite incriminating his friend, Bubber reflects on his motive and acknowledges that jealousy is a common feeling. While he doesn’t condone Crouch’s actions, he understands them.