The Conjure Man Dies: A Mystery Tale of Dark Harlem

Darkness symbolizes secrecy and deception in the novel. Frimbo resides in darkness for much of the novel. He only works at night, which leads Martha Crouch to collect his rent at night rather than during the day, as she would for her husband’s other clients. Frimbo also makes his chamber dark, in part to hide himself (and N’Ogo) from his clients. Doty Hicks notes in his interrogation that he “[C]ouldn’t see Frimbo” because it was “too dark” (79). This statement helps support Frimbo’s desire for secrecy and foreshadows the reveal of his and his assistant’s role switch. After he and his assistant began to switch roles, Frimbo had the room dark to keep the pretension that his assistant was him, thus allowing his assistant to be a proper decoy. The darkness also allowed Frimbo to project his voice from his laboratory with little suspicion. Frimbo uses darkness again in Chapter 15, flipping the switch box to give himself time to appear in the chamber and convince everyone that he came back from the dead. However, Frimbo is not the only one who can use the darkness for cover. Bubber hides in the dark basement and witnesses Frimbo burning a corpse. Crouch also uses darkness in Chapter 23, turning out the lights to obscure himself when he shoots Frimbo and to tries to flee.

In contrast, light symbolizes the revelation of truth. Throughout the novel, Dart and the officers use the extension light to illuminate the dark chamber to look for evidence and interrogate the subjects. They turn on the switch box in Chapter 15 to find Frimbo alive. While hiding in the dark, Bubber sees Frimbo illuminated by the furnace, revealing his actions. Later, the group turns on the lights in Chapter 23 to find Samuel Crouch disguised as Easley Jones. Frimbo also used light to see “the illuminated face of whoever occupies that chair” from the laboratory when he switched roles with his assistant (235). Frimbo’s light device allows him to see his clients’ faces and learn about their lives and futures as a result. Light reveals the secrets and knowledge that darkness hides in the novel.