Chapter 6 "Cotton Song" Summary

"Cotton Song" is a work song chanted by field workers bailing cotton. It describes Judgment Day, when people will be set free. The chant also expresses a fear of God and the need to be a good soul before Judgment Day.

Chapter 6 "Cotton Song" Analysis

Thematically, "Cotton Song" expresses a fear of an omnipresent God and his judgment against sinners. The lyrics also associate manual labor (the rolling of cotton) with doing God's will. As it ties into the rest of the novel, "Cotton Song" shows the presence of spirituality even in everyday tasks. Rolling the cotton is likened to saving one's soul, and there is the sense that redemption is associated with the manual labor. As in previous chapters, the emphasis on a fear of the fate of sinners on Judgment Day is present.