When Hell Freezes

On pages one hundred and eighty eight through one hundred and eighty nine, the nightmare Easy Rawlins fearfully arouses from is an intricate sequence to analyze. The meat locker represents the hell of racism black women suffer through in early 20th century Southern America. People associate hell with flames present everywhere and an insufferable sweltering heat nobody can survive. This hell is just as bad with frigid temperatures and icy conditions leaving anyone into a deep freeze. Bodies of dead women on hooks are inside the meat locker including the ones of Nola Payne and Geneva Landry. They are the prey who are unable to flee from the wrath of Southern white men. The gloomy fate of the black women on hooks inside the locker room can be a symbolism alluding to the term "dead meat". Walter Mosley writes,"I almost brushed the hair from her face but then I understood that I touched any one of the dead women He would know I was there." The capitalization of the "H" in the word "He" has deep meaning. I believe Mosley intentionally does this to label the white man as someone with its own identity. Ironically, I think Mosley is referring to Bill as the "He" who appears in Rawlin's dream. Bill is a religious man who assists homeless black men with temporary shelter plus food and clothing. Before, Rawlin's friend Jackson Blue tells Easy about Bill not only being part of the solution but being part of the problem too. Perhaps, the nightmare is an indication of Easy keeping in mind of what Jackson says to him. It seems as if he still holds a grudge towards white America. Geneva Landry's story about her rape by a white man, the hostile encounters with the police and the demolition of the Watts community by its own residents triggers Easy's bias toward white people whenever Easy is under stress. Another significant part is when Mosley writes, "The moment I touched Bonnie a heavy hand fell on my shoulder. It spun me around and there was Bill, King of the Underworld. "Don't mess with my dinner, Easy," . Bill's larger than life aura and his generosity impress Rawlins deeply but his southern roots deems him as evil. The "King of the Underworld" is Satan Easy sees Bill as Satan. He is the embodiment of white men who feasts on the vulnerability of black women in the early South. It is the cold world Easy has a difficult time to overlook.