Spunk

“Spunk” is a short story by Zora Neale Hurston published in 1925. Set in the rural Southern United States, “Spunk” follows the conflict that ensues when one man pursues another man’s wife. The story’s publication helped establish Hurston as a significant literary voice during the Harlem Renaissance. In 1989, George C. Wolfe adapted the story, along with content from two others by Hurston, into a play by the same name. Citations in this guide correspond with the 2020 anthology Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick published by Harper Collins.

At the outset of the story, a group of men in the general store of a small town watch in surprise as a “giant” man by the name of Spunk Banks walks down the street arm in arm with Lena Kanty, Joe Kanty’s wife. Elijah Mosely, one of the observers, expresses his admiration of Spunk, attesting that he is “skeered of nothin’” and cites his work at the sawmill as an example (55).

Moments after the couple passes out of sight, Joe, who is visibly distraught, enters the store and orders a sarsaparilla. With “mock gravity,” Elijah asks Joe about his wife, even though he knows Joe is aware of her situation. Startled, Joe nearly drops his drink, and Walter Thomas, Elijah’s companion, reprimands Elijah for his rudeness. After a moment, Joe sets his bottle down and announces his intent to confront Spunk, brandishing a large razor selected for that purpose. Elijah congratulates Joe for “talkin’ like a man” (56). As dusk falls, Joe leaves the store to follow Spunk and Lena into the woods, and the men at the store laugh behind his back.

Walter scolds Elijah for encouraging Joe and suggests Spunk will kill him. Elijah asserts that Joe is bluffing and will return home rather than confront Spunk. He describes Joe’s encounter with Spunk and Lena a few days prior: Spunk said that Lena “was his” and told Joe to call her to him. Joe called out, “Lena, ain’t I yo’ husband?” (57). She gave Joe a “disgusted” look, and Spunk took her arm. Spunk then declared his intention to provide for her and told her to retrieve her things from her home. Lena reminded him that her home was a gift from her father to which Spunk told her not to “forgit youse mine” (58). As Lena gave Spunk a loving look and then walked away with him, Joe watched nervously but did nothing.

The men at the store hear a gunshot. Moments later, Spunk enters the store accompanied by Lena, who is crying “in fear for him” (59); he sends her home. Without emotion, Spunk announces he killed Joe in self-defense. The men look at Elijah in accusation. Spunk leads them to Joe’s body and tells them Joe, whom he describes as a “dirty coward,” attacked him from behind, displaying a tear in his clothes as proof. Spunk then killed Joe with a single shot.

In the aftermath of Joe’s death, the men at the store consider imprisoning Spunk until the sheriff arrives in town, but no one acts. A few days later, following a short trial, Spunk is released without any legal repercussions.

A day after Spunk’s release, Elijah shares the latest news with Walter. He explains that Spunk bought a house to live in with Lena, whom he intends to marry. Two days ago, on Spunk and Lena’s first night in the house, just as they were going to bed, a large, black bobcat began howling and circling the house. Spunk aimed his gun to shoot it but hesitated when the bobcat stared back at him. Spunk concluded the bobcat was Joe, “sneaked back from Hell” (60).

Walter agrees the bobcat must be Joe since “nobody never seen no black bob-cat” (60). Over the men’s disagreement, he explains that he considers Joe braver than Spunk, since Joe had to pluck up the courage to confront Spunk. An unnamed man shares another anecdote: That day at the sawmill, Spunk complained that the circle saw was wobbling and said someone pushed him, even though no one was close by.

The next morning, the men gather in a somber mood following Spunk’s death. Elijah, who feels Spunk died wickedly, hesitates but then decides to go to the funeral for Lena’s sake. On the way, he tells Walter how Spunk died: Elijah was loading lumber when he saw Spunk fall onto the saw, which cut him. Elijah and another man pulled Spunk away. Before he died, Spunk told Elijah that Joe pushed him onto the saw and promised to confront Joe in hell. Walter expresses his belief that Joe did push Spunk, and he’s waiting for Spunk in the afterlife, no longer scared.

They arrive at the house, where Lena is mourning loudly, and the rest of the villagers are whispering. Jeff Kanty, Joe’s father, looks down “triumphantly” at Spunk’s body, which is lying, covered by a sheet, on boards held up by sawhorses. During a shared meal, the women wonder at Lena’s romantic prospects while the men exchange “coarse conjectures” (62).