Poetry · Chapter
Fortune Teller Blues explained
The speaker visits a gypsy fortune teller who predicts she will lose her man.
What happens
The speaker visits a gypsy fortune teller who predicts she will lose her man. The speaker laments that fortune tellers never give kind news and expresses that she would pay a hundred dollars for peace of mind. She threatens to scream and fall to the floor, declaring she won't live if her man leaves her.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
The emotional peak occurs in the final line, "Tell them to leave you alone!..."—a raw, defiant outburst that s…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Love and Loss
The speaker's intense fear of losing her man drives the entire poem, culminating in a threat of self-destruction.
- Dreams and Despair
The speaker's hope for a kind fortune is crushed, leading to despair and a willingness to pay for relief.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“I went to de gypsy, De gypsy took hold o’ my hand. She looked at me and tole me Chile, you gonna lose yo’ man.”
I visited a fortune teller who held my hand and predicted that my man would leave me.
The speaker receives a dire prophecy from the gypsy.
“I’d give a hundred dollars To de one that would ease my mind.”
I would pay a large sum for someone to give me peace of mind.
The speaker's desperation for emotional relief.
“If my man leaves me I won’t live no mo’.”
If my man abandons me, I will not want to continue living.
The speaker's extreme emotional dependence on her partner.
