Cotton Comes To Harlem

Himes introduces the bale of cotton in Chapter 1 and follows its journey throughout the novel. Cotton is a staple crop from the South, but through the neglect of the white meat truck drivers, the bale of cotton falls onto the rough streets of Harlem. This mirrors the journey of many of the people of color living in Harlem, who originally came from the South but have now been spit out into the city. Through the course of the narrative, the bale of cotton is passed from person to person, going from Uncle Bud to Mr. Goodman, back to Uncle Bud, then to Billie, then to Calhoun, and ultimately to the police. This reflects the sense of rootlessness felt by many of the story’s African Americans, who feel out of place everywhere they have tried to settle in the United States. Some characters, like Mr. Goodman, initially dismiss the bale of cotton as worthless, but the cotton ultimately proves to be a thing of great value, concealing $87,000 worth of stolen money. Others, like Calhoun, know just how much value it has but try to undersell it (offering $100 to